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See our press release on this letter: English / Deutsch Aviation may have contributed as much as 4.9% to global radiative forcing in 2005 and its carbon dioxide emissions could grow by up to 360% between 2000 and 2050. In 2016, the International Civil Aviation Organization adopted a global scheme requiring airline operators to offset increases in carbon dioxide emissions from international flights above 2020 levels. Here we show that the scheme will only compensate for the emissions increase if robust criteria for the eligibility of offset credits are adopted.

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement establishes a framework for international cooperation that enables countries to engage in international carbon market mechanisms. Article 6.4 establishes a new crediting mechanism with international oversight. A key requirement of this new mechanism is that it “shall aim to (…) deliver an overall mitigation in global emissions” (Article 6.4(d)). In the ongoing negotiations on the international rules governing the Paris Agreement, countries have different views on what exactly this requirement means and how it should be operationalised and implemented. This...

The Climate Opportunity report investigates the economic, social and environmental benefits for climate change mitigation action in cities. Enhanced policies and measures for residential building retrofits, bus networks and district-scale renewable energy can generate millions of jobs, save billions of dollars for households, and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths related to ambient air pollution worldwide. The analysis is based on the development of new methodologies, which provide local and national policymakers with a blueprint for how cities and nations can evaluate these impacts and...

In this discussion paper we estimate the marginal cost of supplying certified emissions reduction units (CERs) from projects that are currently registered under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). We develop a supply curve using data on the individual ability of projects to potentially supply CERs over the period up to 2020. We analyse changes to the supply curve based on a number of scenarios which restrict the eligibility of CERs based on the timing of emission reductions, the timing of project investment decisions and registration under the CDM, as well as an assessment of the extent to...

Authored by NewClimate Institute, Lambert Schneider and Stephanie La Hoz Theuer, this publication forms part of a broader project, commissioned by the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA) , with the primary objective to analyse the current situation and development of the international carbon markets. Abstract This discussion paper estimates the potential supply of certified emission reductions (CERs) from projects registered under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) for the period 2013 to 2020. The supply potential estimation...

NewClimate developed a series of NDC sectoral overviews for GIZ , which provide information about current sectoral contributions to global greenhouse gas emissions and prospects for implementing NDCs in these sectors. Each briefing paper presents concrete options for integrating sectoral measures in future NDCs, as well as more general cross-sectoral recommendations for moving forward with emissions-reductions measures. Written primarily from the perspective of climate change experts, with input and suggestions from sector colleagues, the briefing series’ intended target audience is twofold...

Authored by NewClimate Institute and the Öko-Institut , this publication forms part of a broader project, commissioned by the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt) at the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA) , with the primary objective to analyse the current situation and development of the international carbon markets. Despite its previous successes and achievements, the global carbon market find itself currently in a crucial and uncertain period. The large number of mitigation activities initiated through the two most important project based carbon market mechanisms - the...

This report prepared by New Climate Institute and with Climate Action Network Europe’s contribution, aims at identifying for Turkey the co-benefits of policies compatible with climate change mitigation objectives for job creation, public health and dependency on energy imports. The analysis shows that if Turkey adopts a pathway that prioritizes renewable energy and energy efficiency in line with the 1.5°C and 2°C targets, it can considerably reduce energy import dependency, can create tens of thousands of qualified jobs in the renewable energy sector and can prevent thousands of premature...

The Allianz Climate and Energy Monitor ranks G20 member states on their attractiveness as potential destinations for investment in low-carbon electricity infrastructure. It takes into account their current and future investment needs in line with a 2° C global warming trajectory. Consistency with the Paris Agreement, negotiated by 195 countries at the end of 2015, would require a full decarbonization of the global economy before the end of the century. This transformation will be particularly challenging for the energy sector – the largest source of carbon emissions. Every existing and new...

This paper outlines what the Paris Agreement means for Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) and what needs to happen at the country level now and in the longer term to implement the Agreement. The paper focuses explicitly on the mitigation part of national contributions and discusses specific steps in response to the relevant parts of the agreed framework including a view on how these may be supported internationally.

This document presents a synthesis of the main challenges and lessons learned from the preparation process of intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) by Parties to the UNFCCC in the run up to Paris. The challenges and lessons learned from the INDC preparation process hold great relevance for the next steps regarding the implementation and further development of countries’ nationally determined contributions (NDCs), in terms of both clarity and ambition. The report is based on the research NewClimate Institute (NCI) has conducted during the INDC preparation process, including two...

Of the 156 Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) submitted to the UNFCCC by the closure of COP 21 and the adoption of the Paris Agreement in December 2015, at least 78% of these INDCs included conditions. In most cases Parties submitted a conditional contribution alongside an unconditional contribution,but approximately one third of INDCs include only a conditional contribution. This briefing paper by NewClimate Institute concisely presents the key information and aspects on the conditionality of countries‘ mitigation contributions in their INDCs. It gives an overview of the...

The preparation for the new international climate agreement has advanced national policy making even before the agreement is adopted. NewClimate Institute in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB), assessed the extent to which the preparation of intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) has catalysed enhanced national climate change mitigation capacity and action, beyond the preparation of the INDC itself. The survey and...

This focus study presents evidence on the impacts of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). This includes a quantitative assessment of the mitigation impact of the CDM that occurs as a side effect of the current depressed market conditions . This mitigation impact is unintended and undesirable, possible because under the current market conditions mitigation activities originally designed for generating emission reduction credits under the CDM continue to operate their mitigation equipment but discontinue issuing offsets. Using the data generated by the extensive survey of 1,310 CDM projects in...

MitigationMomentum publication with contributions from Frauke Röser and Thomas Day. The paper is a joint effort from the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), Ecofys, the Centre for Climate Science and Policy Research (CSPR), the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP), GIZ, NewClimate Institute, WRI and UNDP. Countries representing more than 90 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and population have submitted intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) in anticipation of the 21st COP in Paris. In parallel, developing countries are designing at least 152 nationally...