ANALYSIS: Cloud of reputational risk continues to hang over voluntary carbon buyers
Negative media coverage continued to dominate discussions during a carbon conference in New York held this week, as stakeholders in the voluntary market reacted to fresh reports from a newspaper that has persistently criticised corporate credit use, with fears of reputational risk threatening to further depress buying activity.
Read MoreANALYSIS: Ottawa likely has authority to enforce Clean Electricity Regulations on provinces
Canada’s proposed Clean Electricity Regulations (CER) largely hold jurisdiction to regulate the CO2 emissions of provincial electricity generation, legal experts told Carbon Pulse, despite claims from the premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan that the forthcoming climate policy is unconstitutional.Â
Read MoreANALYSIS: UN stance on CER use leaves stakeholders puzzled over implications for voluntary carbon market
Experts have expressed uncertainty over the future use of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) in the voluntary carbon market in the wake of a UN statement suggesting transactions of the Kyoto-era units will only be possible for a few more weeks.
Read MoreANALYSIS: Experts propose designer solutions for Canada’s struggling 2 Billion Trees programme
Innovative solutions, a focus on quality, and local investments and partnerships could improve Canada’s ambitious 2 Billion Trees programme that was found falling well short of its targets and 2031 forecast goals at its first audit, experts told Carbon Pulse.
Read MoreANALYSIS: Governments set down marker in tackling cookstove over-crediting
Governments are drastically slashing carbon credit issuance rates from their own cookstove projects and helping craft a new global framework to tackle integrity concerns, moves that are also spurring an overhaul of a hefty chunk of the voluntary carbon market.
Read MoreANALYSIS: Limited evidence of ‘greenhushing’ in voluntary carbon market following scandals
Recent negative media coverage has mainly affected sentiment and prices in the voluntary carbon market rather than the amount of credits retired, and does not seem to have led to an tangible increase in anonymous activity whereby corporates attempt to keep quiet about their market involvement.
Read MoreANALYSIS: Negotiators advance talks on Article 6 technicalities despite chaos of UN Bonn summit
Parties negotiating rules for the new UN carbon crediting mechanism under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement managed to advance discussions on technical details during UN climate negotiations held in Bonn over the past two weeks, despite chaotic scenes that held up wider progress at the gathering.
Read MoreANALYSIS: Climate finance alliance still has future despite exodus of insurance firms
The Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) coalition still has an important role to assume in meeting international climate targets, experts have said, despite an exodus of insurance firms from one of its sub-groups that has led some to question the effectiveness of such industry initiatives.
Read MoreANALYSIS: Experts caution “opportunistic” Zimbabwe carbon deals bonfire to have wider-ranging consequences for voluntary market
Zimbabwe’s decision to void all existing carbon credit agreements and cream off future revenues from credit sales is an opportunistic move that could render offset projects in the country and elsewhere unattractive or unviable, while also potentially spurring other nations demand similar concessions, stakeholders told Carbon Pulse.
Read MoreANALYSIS: The permanence press – durability doubts linger for fast-scaling biochar
Debate persists on whether biochar warrants recognition as a “permanent” carbon removal solution, with scientific estimates evolving on how long CO2 remains captured, and as a growing chorus calls for its rapid upscaling because of its economic and other benefits relative to several engineered alternatives.
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