ZusammenfassungDie Analyse erläutert die Funktionsweise des globalen Kohlenstoffmarkts und wie dieser von Unternehmen zur CO2-Kompensation bei der Erfüllung ihrer freiwilligen Klimaschutzziele genutzt wird. Vor dem Hintergrund der veränderten Rahmenbedingungen des Übereinkommens von Paris stellen die Autoren dar, mit welchen Herausforderungen der Kohlenstoffmarkt konfrontiert ist und wie diese durch Nutzung einer Alternative zur CO2-Kompensation überwunden werden können.
This policy brief explores different options for the EU to promote the integrity of corporate climate action through activities within as well as outside the EU and partially making use of the Article 6 infrastructure. Taking into consideration the new framework conditions established with the adoption of the Paris Agreement, the paper outlines different options of how the EU could push towards more integrity and fight greenwashing. Key recommendations: The EU should continue excluding the use of carbon credits as offsets for achieving its own NDC. This step should be complemented by measures to promote the integrity of other actor's use of carbon credits, including non-state actors. In the area of corporate offset claims, the EU should work towards minimizing the most adverse effects of ongoing offsetting practices by strengthening the regulation of corporate claims. In case a generic ban on offset claims is not implemented, the requirements for the substantiation of claims and the provisions for offsetting should be further specified, by for instance prohibiting double counting of emission reductions. In addition to tightening the rules for corporate offset claims within Europe, the EU could support partner countries in making informed decisions about the authorization of mitigation activities and carbon credits. As the EU has no intention to acquire emission reductions, it could act as an honest broker and support countries in developing a strategy that best serves their interests. Finally, the EU could engage in the emerging field of the contribution claim model, which has been proposed as an alternative to conventional offsetting. To counter the risk of the contribution claim model being used for greenwashing purposes, the EU could develop a contribution claim label that is only granted to companies that meet minimum requirements as verified by accredited third-party verifiers. Companies meeting the requirements would be included in a public registry that would also serve as a tool to link investors with high-integrity mitigation activities. As a stepping stone towards establishing such label, the EU could develop an open database that allows to compare the different concepts that have been proposed as well as a generic contribution claim guidance. With these initiatives, the EU could support the uptake of this new model as a valuable alternative to conventional carbon offsetting.
The principle of equity plays an important role in the Global Stocktake under the Paris Agreement. Equity is considered in the assessment of where Parties stand collectively, and the Global Stocktake informs Parties how they can increase ambition and address equity in their new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This paper discusses several concepts which can guide the distribution of mitigation efforts, adaptation actions, and means of implementation and support, namely the concepts of responsibility, capabilities, egalitarianism and sufficientarianism. The application of one concept only may not be sufficient to ensure equitable and ambitious climate action. In all areas of climate action, it is critical to take into account individual capabilities, which are different from country to country. It is important to use all available capabilities and opportunities and to increase them. Support plays a critical role in enhancing and facilitating the use of available capabilities. The outputs and outcomes of the Global Stocktake should address the importance of building trust and making a convincing case that a Party's response to climate change, including its new NDC, is fair and ambitious. In their new NDC targets, Parties should take into account their contribution to climate change, e.g., measured in greenhouse gas emissions per capita. In addition, Parties with high capabilities (e.g., measured in gross domestic product per capita) should make use of their resources to pursue ambitious climate action and to provide support to Parties with limited capabilities.
Die 26. Konferenz der Vertragsstaaten des Rahmenübereinkommens der Vereinten Nationen über Klimaänderungen (Conference of the Parties, COP26) fand Anfang November 2021 unter britischem Vorsitz in Glasgow statt. Die COP26 markierte die symbolische Halbzeit zwischen der Verabschiedung der UN-Klimarahmenkonvention (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC) im Jahr 1992 und dem Jahr 2050, wo laut IPCC weltweit netto null CO2-Emissionen erreicht werden müssen. Bis heute steigen die CO2-Emissionen jedoch stetig an. Vor diesem Hintergrund war das Pariser Abkommen (PA) von 2015 ein zentraler Durchbruch. Es ist das erste internationale Abkommen, das von allen Ländern ehrgeizige Klimaschutzmaßnahmen verlangt.
Die 26. Konferenz der Vertragsstaaten des Rahmenübereinkommens der Vereinten Nationen über Klimaänderungen (Conference of the Parties, COP26) fand Anfang November 2021 unter britischem Vorsitz in Glasgow statt. Die COP26 markierte die symbolische Halbzeit zwischen der Verabschiedung der UN-Klimarahmenkonvention (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC) im Jahr 1992 und dem Jahr 2050, wo laut IPCC weltweit netto null CO2-Emissionen erreicht werden müssen. Bis heute steigen die CO2-Emissionen jedoch stetig an. Vor diesem Hintergrund war das Pariser Abkommen (PA) von 2015 ein zentraler Durchbruch. Es ist das erste internationale Abkommen, das von allen Ländern ehrgeizige Klimaschutzmaßnahmen verlangt.
The Global Stocktake (GST) under the Paris Agreement periodically assesses the collective progress towards achieving the long-term goals of the Agreement. A project commissioned by the German Environment Agency accompanied all phases of the first GST, focussing on the thematic area of mitigation. An analysis of inputs for the GST highlighted that current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are insufficient to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with pathways consistent with 1.5°C global warming. Collectively, Parties will not achieve their NDC targets with the mitigation actions which are currently implemented and planned. In order to be able to formulate and achieve more ambitious targets, transformative mitigation actions need to be implemented, covering the sectors energy, transport, industry, agriculture, land use and waste. It will be important for policy makers to consider different audiences, channels, messages and tone when communicating the need for such enhanced action.
