Weak consumption in the People’s Republic of China will partly offset robust domestic demand in South Asia. Disinflation is expected to continue, driven by lower food and energy prices, along with the lagged effects of previous monetary policy tightening. The region’s high-income technology exporters remain a bright spot, benefiting from …
As the interest in using nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change grows, ‘blue carbon,’ which means carbon sequestered in coastal ecosystems, is also garnering attention. A number of countries have proposed including blue carbon in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and there is growing interest among some governments and fossil …
Airlines, oil companies, and individuals are using voluntary carbon markets to achieve net reductions in greenhouse gas emissions at levels not seen in seven years, according to Financing Emissions Reductions for the Future: State of the Voluntary Carbon Markets 2019, which was published by Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace initiative at …
The International Civil Aviation Organisation is in the process of finalising the design of a scheme – the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) – to address carbon dioxide emissions from international aviation. In this discussion paper estimate the potential supply of carbon offset credits to meet …
Tackling biodiversity loss is a growing priority for human survival. Introducing incentives for positive actions could play a key role in helping to reverse this loss. This paper explores the potential of using a novel approach to promote biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity credits or ‘biocredits’ are coherent units of measurement that …
This paper explore three different options for a market-based measure to address the climate impact of international shipping: an offsetting scheme, a maritime emissions trading scheme, and a climate levy. Propose four criteria to evaluate the choice of a market-based measure in the sector, apply these criteria to the three …
In this paper explore three different options for a market-based measure to address the climate impact of international shipping: an offsetting scheme, a maritime emissions trading scheme, and a climate levy. Propose four criteria to evaluate the choice of a market-based measure in the sector, apply these criteria to the …
Improving technology, more efficient operations, better airports and market-based measures have not been enough to mitigate the aviation sector’s growing impacts on the environment, climate and people's health. These are the key findings of a new report, published jointly by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the European Environment Agency …
This publication presents a factual overview of the design and implementation of the Korean Emissions Trading Scheme, focusing on lessons from its implementation and opportunities under the Paris Agreement. It provides information to assist other countries that are designing or considering an emissions trading system. The contents are relevant as …
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni introduced the Carbon Tax Bill in the National Assembly on Tuesday, marking the culmination of an eight-year process of preparation and consultation with stakeholders. The tax is due to take effect from June 1 2019, and while parliament’s finance committee expects to process the bill before …
Turning crop waste and discarded paper into a material called biochar could help to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil while also helping to enrich farmland. Agriculture has historically been a circular industry where crops use nutrients in the soil to grow which are then …
This discussion paper explores environmental risks from the inclusion of forest offset credits in the Paris Agreement’s Article 6 and CORSIA, and examines approaches to address such risks. A number of challenges surrounding environmental integrity notably baseline determination, additionality, permanence, and leakage are discussed as well as environmental and social …
Social conditional transfers (CTs) and payments for ecosystem services (PES) have the same starting point: the assumption that direct, conditional incentives are the most effective way to change behaviour. However, contextual disadvantages affect the capacity for the very poor to comply. Recognising this is important in the design of inclusive, …
Recently published research in the journal Environmental Research Letters found that setting a price of $20 per metric ton (about $18/short ton) of carbon dioxide could diminish deforestation by nearly 16 percent and the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere by nearly 25 percent. The pair of economists calculated …
Policymakers around the world recognize the potential for natural land area to combat climate change: a total of 97 countries mentioned specific plans to reduce emissions from deforestation or increase forest cover in their Paris Agreement commitments. As the international community and domestic lawmakers figure out how to meet their …
In this year's report, 67 UN entities report their greenhouse gas emissions for 2016. Of which, 56 provided data on waste and 39 were climate neutral. In addition to detailing the UN's environmental impacts in 2016, the Greening the Blue report also showcases a number of UN entities that are …
In a survey of the private-sector, public-sector and not-for-profits, 94% of respondents felt organizations should reduce their greenhouse gas emissions even when not required to do so by law, and 79% reported they believe climate change poses a risk to their organization. The Imperial College London survey, conducted in consultation …
This report details a study on whether countries should use certified emission reductions – or CERs – to achieve post-2020 targets under the Paris Agreement. The Clean Development Mechanism is the world’s largest greenhouse gas crediting mechanism and will continue to issue CERs until 2020. Countries are considering using those …
One of Kenya’s iconic landscapes - Chyulu Hills - will soon reap big from the sale of two million carbon credits. Located between Amboseli and Tsavo national parks, Chyulu Hills is an integral part of Kenya’s largest conservation landscape that has been severely degraded by overgrazing, drought, deforestation and forest …
This report explores the introduction of carbon taxes with a national offset component and their interactions with other policy areas, and makes recommendations on this topic. In this task, the study focuses on the approaches Chile, Mexico and South Africa have chosen for elaborating their carbon taxes. By allowing the …
As of 2016, offsets equivalent to 1.1 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions (BtCO2e) have been transacted voluntarily – through sales to governments, companies, and individuals as well as intermediary brokers – according to the latest annual State of Voluntary Carbon Markets report from Forest Trends’ Ecosystem Marketplace, released …
