International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP)’s Post

What do UK, Holland, France, Germany and the US have in common? Courts in each have recently found that government policy is not delivering what is required in law to meet their carbon emission reduction goals. And a landmark ruling in the European Court of Human Rights last month will pile even more pressure on countries across the continent. If governments won't meet their obligations, then there are an increasingly large number of litigants willing to force them. #climatechange

So glad to see ministers from the UK, Ghana and Guyana, co-leads of the FCLP working group on Carbon Markets, coming together to make the positive case for the role of high integrity carbon markets. They are clear that markets are not only about meeting climate goals but also about ensuring that finance is available to support sustainable development. https://lnkd.in/eDrCkYDr #fclp

For the second time, this Government has been found guilty of breaching the UK Climate Change Act and approving a Net Zero programme which is “not fit for purpose”. It has been ordered to amend its plan. Grant Snapps and team must go back and create credible plan which is genuinely designed to reach its own NZ targets. We owe a huge debt of thanks to ClientEarth, Friends of the Earth and others who brought this critical action to hold the Government to account over all our futures. #climatechange #netzero #ukclimatechangeact #transitiontonetzero #UKdecarbonisation #decarbonisation

Last week marked a major advancement in sustainability as the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly (441 to 139) to adopt a new law establishing a rigorous certification system for carbon removal. This legislation is a vital step towards combating greenwashing and promoting transparency in carbon sequestration efforts as part of the #EuropeanGreenDeal. The new certification framework aims to propel the EU towards climate neutrality by 2050, supporting both industrial solutions like Direct Air Capture and natural processes that enhance carbon sinks. With this system, the EU introduces reliable methods to validate the #impact and quality of #carbonremoval technologies, creating new economic #opportunities for industries and land managers through carbon farming. MEP @Lídia Pereira highlighted the benefits of the legislation, noting, "This is a pivotal moment for incentivizing genuine carbon removal efforts, including providing new revenue streams for our farmers." The legislation now awaits final approval from the EU Council to take effect, promising a future where sustainable practices are duly recognized and rewarded. https://loom.ly/Sq3RVpc #SustainabilityInAction #2024ESGSummitEurope

To deliver on the #ParisAgreement, dedicated policymakers must be empowered to set the most ambitious policies possible. That’s where the Crux Alliance comes in. Read how NGO technical assistance can unlock ambition in this op-ed by 2 veteran regulators. ⤵ #WorldClimateActionSummit https://lnkd.in/gKznctjs

📢 FEAD has participated to the call for evidence on the Social Climate Fund! 📍FEAD highlights that the negative connotation of waste incineration under the Taxonomy Regulation is inconsistent with other EU legislation and Commission Communications. 📍The 'do no significant harm' (DNSH) principle is a powerful tool to drive investments towards the green transition, and FEAD is fully committed to the EU climate goals. 📍However, given the significant impact of the DNSH principle on directing financial flows in the EU, its interpretation and application must be carefully assessed and justified. Read FEAD's comments on the call for evidence 👉 https://lnkd.in/e8-SKPa2 #SocialClimateFund #DNSH

‼️The #EUGreenClaims directive over regulation puts at risk the Voluntary Carbon credit market according to a policy brief of ERCST - European Roundtable on Climate Change and Sustainable Transition ⚠️ It looks at the relative positions taken by the Parliament, which voted its stance at first reading on March 12, and the position of the Council, which is yet to vote on the proposal at first reading but has attempted to find a common stance in a series of draft compromise amendments. "There are clear differences between the three current versions, but they all go in the direction of additional legislation and regulation and the tendency of overprotection and over-regulation'," the ERCST says. https://lnkd.in/eWPYEZ9W

The SBTi Board of Trustee's decision to allow companies to use an unspecified % of offsets to "address" scope 3 emissions is totally unscientific. Offsets should always be a last resort after avoiding and minimising (https://lnkd.in/geyp_6T7). Suggesting this is "respecting the principles of mitigation hierarchy" is moronic. Guess Science Based Targets initiative will need to be renamed as WBTi (whatever based targets initiative) Kudos to the brave SBTi staff who are calling out this nonsense, as well as to Carbon Market Watch and others for demanding better. https://lnkd.in/gM9dQDiJ To all of the carbon credit businesses and intermediaries heralding this decision as a "gamechanger" that will "unlock climate finance" (largely for yourselves and the corporates who now don't have to avoid or mitigate scope 3 emissions and still get a "science" stamp of approval), you're telling on yourselves.

It is understandable that much of the discussion of our transition to net zero centres on the economic and societal benefits on offer with the right levels of ambition and delivery. After all, who doesn't want to hear about a future in which we enjoy a thriving economy powered by renewables, benefitting from good new jobs across world-leading clean industries and services. As a comms professional I understand the preference to lead with a positive message. However, sometimes this means that the urgency of the situation isn't properly conveyed. We cannot neglect discussions about the significant risk presented by inaction. The facts are clear, unmitigated climate change will incur a major economic and social cost. As outlined in BusinessGreen coverage of new Office for Budget Responsibility findings, in a world warmed by up to 3C the UK faces a 5% drop in GDP and a 23% debt increase by 2074 (and many would argue this is a conservative estimate - this is by no means close to a worse case scenario). There is much talk about the health of the public purse, deficit levels, the sustainability of public spending - in fact it is fundamental to political discourse in this country almost to the point of obsession. This link and risk has to be made clearly by leaders and acted upon by policymakers. It's time to focus attention on the need to rapidly scale up public and private investment in decarbonisation and nature restoration. Inaction doesn't just result in lost opportunities, it will lead to severe and sustained economic damage.

Kyklos joins and supports #SBTi employees, technical experts, NGOs and other stakeholders who oppose the recent decision by the SBTi´s board of trustees to extend the use of carbon offsets for scope 3 emission abatement. We also condemn any other effort to undermine the credibility and reliability of the SBTi standard. Although not perfect, it is a good and necessary tool for incentivizing corporations and verifying they are doing no less than their fair share when claiming they are contributing to climate change mitigation. It is impossible to achieve this with decision-making processes that lack transparency, consensus-building, and balanced stakeholder participation. Especially when these decisions change core principles of the SBTi standard, as was the case with the recent decision. https://lnkd.in/gy8b6grV https://lnkd.in/dxw726a3