Update: After six years of negotiations, the UN climate talks at COP26 in Glasgow produced a strong Paris Agreement rulebook for international cooperation through carbon markets. The agreed Article 6 rules, while not perfect, give countries the tools they need for environmental integrity, to avoid double counting and ultimately to clear a path to get private capital flowing to developing countries. For EDF analysis, see Kelley Kizzier's statement.

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With effective rules on transparency and robust accounting, international emissions trading can mobilize significant private sector investment and help the world meet the ambitious climate and development goals established in the Paris Agreement. These rules, if agreed, would form the bedrock of the international accord’s carbon market mechanisms under Article 6. Countries need to determine the content of these rules, which will become part of the Paris Agreement 'rulebook.' Negotiations over these rules will continue in COP 26 in Glasgow.

The details of accounting and transparency constitute the essential nuts and bolts of the Paris Agreement, and are critical to avoiding real risks of “double counting” of emissions reductions. The content of these rules is as important as countries’ headline climate targets, since the headline numbers are only as good as our ability to ensure countries are clearly reducing emissions and counting those reductions consistently.

Businesses know this. During COP 25 in Madrid, 64 companies, business groups and non-governmental organizations representing more than 1 billion workers in 130 countries signed the Declaration on Sound Carbon Accounting.The resources below are intended to contribute to ongoing international efforts to conclude effective guidance to countries on counting and reporting international transfers of emissions reductions (also known as internationally transferred mitigation outcomes, or “ITMOs,” under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement).

Latest:

Article 6 primers

Carbon markets and ambition

Double counting/corresponding adjustments

Clean Development Mechanism

Read the latest updates on our international climate work