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The policy brief critiques the proposed EU ETS revision, arguing that over-generous free allowances to industrial sectors—particularly the steel industry—create windfall profits and deprive the public of potential auctioning revenues. It recommends increasing the Linear Reduction Factor to 4.2% to align with Paris Agreement goals, establishing a Just Transition Fund for workers, and shifting toward full auctioning to fund low-carbon innovation and support citizens.

Carbon Market Watch and 30 partner organizations call on EU Environment Ministers to prevent the use of ETS funds, specifically Article 10c and the Modernisation Fund, for coal power subsidies. They advocate for a 450gCO2/kWh investment eligibility criterion to exclude coal, strong governance for the Modernisation Fund involving the European Investment Bank and Member States, and the establishment of a Just Transition Fund to align EU policy with the Paris Agreement.

The EU is developing post-2020 LULUCF accounting rules that will likely influence global standards. The author warns that the EU's carbon sink is projected to decline by nearly 100MT by 2030, largely due to increased harvesting for bioenergy. The letter emphasizes that failing to accurately count these sink reductions, while simultaneously granting bioenergy a 'zero emissions' rating, would result in emissions being omitted from accounting entirely.

A joint letter from environmental organizations to Italian MEPs arguing that the European Commission's Effort Sharing Regulation proposal is inadequate and proposing specific amendments to reduce the carbon budget, limit the use of credits, and introduce periodic target reviews.

The document argues that the Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) must move beyond the practices of the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to ensure an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and alignment with the 2030 Agenda. It advocates for a shift from carbon offsetting toward results-based finance and the integration of human rights, transparency, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core principles.

Carbon Market Watch outlines recommendations for the three frameworks under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement: cooperative approaches, the Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM), and non-market mechanisms. The organization emphasizes the need for robust accounting to prevent double counting, the integration of human rights safeguards, and the use of the SDM for results-based finance and transformational change.

Carbon Market Watch argues for the integration of international aviation and shipping emissions into the Paris Agreement's transparency and review mechanisms. The organization recommends that NDCs include a specific section for contributions outside their scope and that states make corresponding adjustments to national inventories when emission reductions are used for international targets like CORSIA. Furthermore, it calls for the inclusion of bunker fuel burn and offset data in the global stocktake and the transparency framework to ensure environmental integrity and avoid double counting.

The policy brief critiques CORSIA for focusing on offsetting growth above 2020 levels rather than reducing overall sector emissions. It highlights the risk of double counting since offsets are sourced from countries with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. The author recommends that ICAO implement a 'negative list' for harmful project types and a public registry, while urging the UNFCCC to integrate aviation's efforts into the Global Stocktake and Facilitative Dialogue to ratchet ambition toward the 1.5°C goal.

Carbon Market Watch calls for the Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) to depart from the 'pure offsetting' approach of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), citing a European Commission study that found 85% of CDM projects unlikely to deliver real emission reductions. The author argues the SDM should instead function as a tool for results-based finance and actively contribute to the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) through transformational change and robust stakeholder participation.

A coalition of NGOs argues that the expansion of Vienna airport is incompatible with Austria's climate goals and the Paris Agreement. They highlight that aviation is the most carbon-intensive transport mode, benefiting from tax exemptions and an ineffective carbon offsetting scheme (CORSIA), and call for the end of airport expansions and fuel tax exemptions to meet emission reduction targets.

Carbon Market Watch urges the end of the UN's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) following a European Commission study by the Öko-Institut. The study indicates that 85% of analyzed projects and 73% of the potential credit supply from 2013 to 2020 are unlikely to provide real, measurable, and additional emission reductions. Such credits could potentially increase global greenhouse gas emissions by over 3.5 billion tonnes of CO2. The organization specifically warns against the aviation industry using these ineffective credits through the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) to avoid greenwashing.

Carbon Market Watch criticizes the Green Climate Fund's approval of three large hydro dam projects in Nepal, Tajikistan, and the Solomon Islands, arguing that such investments contradict the fund's goal of promoting a paradigm shift and risk repeating the human rights and environmental failures seen in the Barro Blanco project in Panama.

The Climate, Land, Ambition and Rights Alliance (CLARA) provides recommendations for land-use policies within the UNFCCC framework. The briefing emphasizes the need for free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) for indigenous peoples, the protection of collective land rights, and the adoption of agroecological practices. It strongly opposes the use of terrestrial carbon sinks to offset industrial emissions, citing the non-permanence of such sinks and the unreliability of soil carbon accounting. Additionally, it warns against large-scale bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and 'Climate Smart Agriculture' due to risks of land grabs and corporate green-washing.

The policy brief examines the transition from the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to the Paris Agreement's Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM). It argues that the CDM's offsetting model is obsolete in a world where all countries have climate commitments and recommends abolishing carbon offsetting in favor of results-based climate finance. The author highlights significant failures of the CDM, including the fact that approximately 73% of potential credits between 2013 and 2020 likely did not represent real emission reductions. Key recommendations include stopping CDM project registration by COP 24 in 2018 and ending the use of CDM credits by 2023.

A coalition of 272 organizations argues that large hydropower projects do not meet the Green Climate Fund's (GCF) investment criteria due to greenhouse gas emissions, lack of innovation, and negative social and environmental impacts. The letter specifically calls for the rejection or removal of three projects from the GCF pipeline: the Qairokkum Hydropower Rehabilitation in Tajikistan, the Upper Trishuli-1 in Nepal, and the Tina River Hydro Project in the Solomon Islands.

The document argues that large hydropower projects fail to meet GCF Investment Criteria due to greenhouse gas emissions, lack of innovation, negative environmental and human rights impacts, and vulnerability to climate change. It specifically opposes GCF support for the Qairokkum Hydropower Rehabilitation in Tajikistan, Upper Trishuli-1 in Nepal, and the Tina River Hydro Project in the Solomon Islands, urging the GCF to instead support the diversification of energy mixes in countries over-dependent on hydro.

Carbon Market Watch calls for the curtailment of free carbon allowances in the EU ETS following a court ruling requiring ArcelorMittal to return wrongfully received permits. The organization warns that current trialogue negotiations may result in the allocation of an additional 300 to 775 million free permits for heavy industry, contradicting the 'polluter pays' principle. The text advocates for increased auctioning of permits, the inclusion of importers in emission costs, and the potential introduction of a carbon tax to drive industrial decarbonization.

Carbon Market Watch criticizes the European Commission's proposal to reduce the scope of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) for international aviation. The organization argues that replacing the EU ETS with the ICAO's Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) would reduce the coverage of global aviation emissions from 35% to 8% and significantly lower the cost per tonne of CO2 emitted from 5 EUR to 0.31 EUR. The document asserts that the EU ETS is more ambitious than CORSIA because it utilizes an absolute cap and mandatory compliance, whereas CORSIA is voluntary until 2027 and based entirely on offsetting.

A civil society statement arguing that the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) promotes harmful agro-industrial farming and must be radically reformed. The authors propose a transformation based on four pillars: fair and diverse economies, environmental and animal welfare protections, support for public health, and accountable, participatory governance.

The policy brief critiques the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) as an insufficient replacement for the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) regarding international aviation emissions. It argues that CORSIA's goal of "carbon neutral growth" allows for unlimited emissions growth and lacks the mandatory enforcement and transparency of the EU ETS. The author contends that exempting international flights from the EU ETS would undermine EU climate targets, potentially increasing the EU ETS surplus by 260 million tonnes and reducing emissions reductions by 710 Mt compared to a full-scope scenario. The brief recommends that the EU continue covering international flights, demand full transparency from ICAO's Committee on Aviation and Environmental Protection (CAEP), and end the free allocation of 85% of aviation allowances to fund decarbonization research and the Green Climate Fund.