Evaluation and analysis of domestic and international carbon market mechanisms, with the objective to inform design of new mechanisms which can support countries to achieve their climate commitments, to increase future ambition, and to support sustainable development.
Carbon market mechanisms play an important role in many international and domestic discussions around climate change mitigation efforts and come with both opportunities, but also risks. Internationally, the 2015 Paris Agreement set out provisions for market mechanisms to assist countries in achieving their nationally determined contributions, increase ambition and support sustainable development. Parties continue to work on the exact design of these mechanisms. International aviation and shipping are also considering carbon market mechanisms as a climate change measure. The “Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation” (CORSIA), is set to begin from 2021; and International Maritime Organization (IMO) also lists market-based measures as a candidate measure for its strategy to reduce GHG from global shipping. Increasing numbers of national and sub-national jurisdictions are also working on various forms of carbon pricing.
NewClimate Institute is active in the field of analysis, evaluation and design of international and domestic carbon market mechanisms. We evaluate the Kyoto mechanisms and reflect on the lessons learned from them to inform the design and development of future mechanisms, particularly those that increase mitigation ambition of countries and deliver an overall mitigation impact. Our experts combine years of experience working in various capacities with the Kyoto Protocol mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the Joint Implementation (JI), the EU ETS and voluntary offsetting markets; provide inputs to discussions under CORSIA and IMO; and advise international policy makers on emerging market concepts and piloting activities.
Associated projects
Understanding Climate Neutrality and Net Zero Targets
A growing number of countries and companies are setting climate neutrality or “net-zero” targets. Although the apparent growth in climate ambition of these actors is a promising development…
Informing EU policy options for tackling aviation’s climate impact: Assessing ICAO’s global market-based measure (CORSIA) and its interaction with the EU ETS
Return to all expertise and projects A global scheme to regulate the climate impact from international aviation – the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or CORSIA – aims to offset any growth in sector emissions after 2020. The EU, which has signed up to CORSIA, currently regulates domestic and international aviation through… Read More
CORSIA: Analysis and evaluation of regulating international aviation emissions through offsetting
NewClimate Institute is in the process of carrying out a 2-year project to support the German Emission Trading Authority (DEHSt) with its contributions to the design of CORSIA.
Future role for voluntary carbon markets after 2020
This research project considers the future role for voluntary carbon markets after 2020.
Analysis of pre-2020 developments in the global carbon market
Continuous analysis of the status and developments of mitigation activities in the global carbon market up to 2020. Return to all expertise and projects The German Emission Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) contracted a consortium, led by NewClimate Institute, to evaluate the situation and developments in the international carbon market over… Read More
Virtual Article 6 Pilots
In this project, NewClimate Institute is working to elaborate virtual Article 6 pilots to contribute to the discussion regarding rulemaking for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and inform eventual future investment considerations.
Sustainable development framework for market mechanisms
This ongoing research project aims to overcome the previously identified barriers to combine SD and GHG mitigation impacts through the identification of practical solutions and concrete proposals for the implementation of SD indicators in GHG mitigation projects.
Technical advisory services “Global Carbon Market”
NewClimate Institute was contracted by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), as part of a larger consortium, to advise GIZ’s agency on its “Global Carbon Market” project.
Benchmarking Guide for climate policy instruments
Creating a practical and in-depth guide on how to design and implement benchmarks for policy makers. Return to all expertise and projects World Bank Partnership for Market Readiness programme (PMR) has contracted NewClimate Institute and Ricardo Energy and Environment to develop a Guide for providing an overview and practical guidance for policy-makers and practitioners on the main design elements… Read More
Innovative Financing Options for the Adaptation Fund
Assessing potentials and pathways for financing adaptation through carbon pricing approaches
Development of a sectoral market based approach
Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Mitigation in Colombian Housing Return to all expertise and projects Colombia faces an affordable housing deficit, rapid urbanisation pressure, and the need to improve energy efficiency to reduce emissions from the building sector while working towards longer term decarbonisation. To address these challenges, NewClimate Institute and Oeko Institute, supported by… Read More
Integration of market mechanisms and emission trading schemes
Design and integration of market mechanisms and emission trading schemes under a new climate change agreement. The German emission trading authority (DEHSt/UBA) contracted NewClimate Institute together with adelphi and Öko-Institut to provide a foundation for the formulation and further development of a German position in the climate negotiations, and to facilitate a scientifically-based contribution of… Read More
Offsetting in carbon taxation systems
Analysis of the potentials and limits of different offset standards in bilateral and global CO2 price systems. Currently, an increasing number of countries and regions develops CO2 pricing mechanisms, including carbon taxes and emission trading systems. Some of these countries are designing or plan to design standards for the use of offsets in their pricing… Read More
Carbon market mechanisms in future international cooperation on climate change
Overview of the options for the use of carbon market mechanisms in a 2015 climate change agreement
Carbon integrity assessment of mitigation actions
Development of a methodology and scorecard to assess the carbon integrity of mitigation actions
Results-based financing in Carbon Markets – connecting market and non-market based approaches
Current situation of results-based financing (RBF) approaches in climate policy.
Bilateral agreements as basis towards piloting sectoral market mechanisms
Opportunities provided by bilateral agreements for piloting market-based approaches at sectoral levels. The research work analyses how bilateral agreements between countries could be used to pilot international carbon market activities on sectoral levels to ensure a minimum activity level in this transition period from existing to new mechanisms. Return to all expertise and projects The… Read More
Evaluating the state of the CDM
Evaluation of the present implementation status of CDM projects and identification of support measures to keep CDM projects mitigating. Return to all expertise and projects The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was introduced by the Kyoto Protocol and has developed into one of the most important international carbon market instruments. The CDM stimulated investments in greenhouse… Read More
Further reading
Climate neutrality claims Sep 2020 - Country and company climate neutrality targets are not all equal. This discussion paper explores factors to consider in gauging the ambition of climate neutrality targets from climate leadership to greenwashing. 
Options for supporting Carbon Dioxide Removal Jul 2020 - This paper examines the broad policy frameworks that can support the development and upscaling of Carbon Dioxide Removal and, in particular, whether CDR can be supported by offsetting schemes.
Options for Improving the Emission Unit Eligibility Criteria (EUCs) under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) May 2020 - This discussion paper assesses options for improving the current Emissions Unit Eligibility Criteria (EUCs) used for the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Renewable heating virtual Article 6 pilot Jan 2020 - Ground source heat pumps in Mongolia - an ambitious option for an Article 6 ITMO transaction.
Net-zero energy housing virtual Article 6 pilot Jan 2020 - Net-zero energy buildings in Colombia - an ambitious option for an ambitious Article 6 ITMO transaction.
Supporting vulnerable CDM projects through credit purchase facilities Jan 2020 - This paper analyses the impact of credit purchase facilities for supporting vulnerable CDM projects.
The role of international carbon markets in a decarbonising world Nov 2019 - The goals of the Paris Agreement require countries to develop and implement long term strategies which chart out the fastest decarbonisation pathway technically feasible. The role of offsets in such a decarbonising world must shift from current practice to avoid undermining the ambition and meaning of net-zero targets.
Offset credit supply potential for CORSIA Nov 2019 - In this discussion paper we estimate the potential supply of carbon offset credits to meet demand from international aviation under CORSIA under a number of different scenarios which include different types of restrictions imposed on the eligibility of offset credits.
Analysing the interactions between new market mechanisms and emissions trading schemes: Opportunities and prospects for countries to use Article 6 of the Paris Agreement Apr 2019 - This report conducts a detailed analysis of the provisions related to market mechanisms of the Paris Agreement (Article 6), identifies issues that should be taken into account when elaborating the rulebook for the Paris Agreement, and answers the question whether different countries are ready for engaging with market mechanisms under the Paris Agreement.
Carbon pricing options for international maritime emissions Mar 2019 - In this paper we explore three different options for a market-based measure to address the climate impact of shipping: an offsetting scheme, a maritime emissions trading scheme, and a climate levy. We conclude that a climate levy would be the most appropriate measure to reduce emissions in the maritime sector.