Climate Focus together with EnD-I AG have developed a biogas estimation tool that allows project developers to assess the potential JI or CDM compliant emission reductions from a biogas investment and optimise their investment strategy and feedstock procurement.

Climate Focus has released a study commissioned by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to assess the supply of high quality REDD + credits for international carbon markets (2011-2035).

The Rockefeller Foundation commissioned an assessment of the investment potential for agricultural carbon in Africa that could improve soil fertility, enhance carbon stocks and contribute to food security.

On the 1st of March 2010, Climate Focus, together with the Belgian Ministry of Health Food Chain Safety and Environment and Caisse des dépôts, organised a roundtable held in Brussels on the potentials of Article 24a of the revised EU ETS Directive for developing a system of domestic offsets within the European Union. Representatives of the EU Commission, the Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee, Member States, the private sector and research institutes actively participated with presentations and discussions.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) hosted the second annual Forest Carbon Finance Summit: Getting to Scale, Getting Results on February 25-27, 2010 in Washington, DC.  Climate Focus co-authored two papers for the event including “Options for Managing Financial Flows from REDD+" and “The Challenge of Urgency: Incentivizing Private Sector Early Action in REDD+.” Leaders in the forest carbon finance field gathered to move the conversation on REDD+ from a conceptual level to a practical one focused on how carbon markets, public finance, and new mechanisms can be used to channel capital to forest conservation.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) hosted the second annual Forest Carbon Finance Summit: Getting to Scale, Getting Results on February 25-27, 2010 in Washington, DC.  Climate Focus co-authored two papers for the event including “Options for Managing Financial Flows from REDD+" and “The Challenge of Urgency: Incentivizing Private Sector Early Action in REDD+.” Leaders in the forest carbon finance field gathered to move the conversation on REDD+ from a conceptual level to a practical one focused on how carbon markets, public finance, and new mechanisms can be used to channel capital to forest conservation.

The German Ministry of the Environment (BMU) has appointed a consortium of Tsinghua University, Climate Focus and four other organisations to evaluate and test the application of carbon financing instruments to the Chinese building sector.

In a brief of 15 December 2009 Climate Focus gives an overview of the new rules.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Ecofys and Climate Focus have been awarded a study

In order to clarify China's position concerning climate change, Climate Focus has prepared a briefing note that outlines the country's domestic Policies and it's role in International Negotiations.

The objective of this paper is to assess design options for an institutional financial architecture supporting a new global climate deal. It aims to support an informal dialogue and consultation process among key policy makers and officials engaged in the negotiations of a reformed financial mechanism under the UNFCCC beyond 2012. This paper elaborates on some of the prominent proposals submitted by UNFCCC Parties, experts, and nongovernmental organizations for a scaled-up and reformed financial mechanism to assist developing countries in fulfilling their obligations under the Convention and responding to the adverse effects of climate change.

In a special report commissioned by the Government of Norway released March 16th 2009 Climate Focus’ Charlotte Streck contributed to the structuring of financial mechanisms that frame a flexible, global approach to providing adequate incentives to REDD policies and greenhouse gas reductions from the forest sector. The REDD Options Assessment Report was vetted in consultation, and outlines issues of finance, establishment of reference levels, monitoring, reporting and verification, and participation of indigenous and local peoples in REDD. The result is an approach that can accommodate (i) the diverse capabilities and circumstances of REDD countries; (ii) an expanded scope of REDD with conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks; and (iii) the near-term constraints of the current global financial crisis.  Download the complete report in multiple languages here...

This papers proposes a process that encourages developing and industrialized countries alike in taking first steps of identifying ways developing countries can contribute to climate change mitigation. The process draws on lessons learned in the emerging Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) readiness process.

Over the last three years, international- and national-level work on behalf of many government and nongovernment actors in industrial and non-Annex I countries has given rise to the development of various proposals on how to structure adequate policy incentives for REDD within the context of the UNFCCC and the second commitment phase of the Kyoto Protocol. The present memo summarizes the financing aspects of the various REDD proposals currently being discussed at the international level.

CIFOR Produced two Infobriefs that were also co-authored by Charlotte Streck on these same subjects, one of them is Infobrief 15: What is the right scale for REDD?

Climate Focus, as part of the Joint Implementation Action Group (JIAG), has outlined the advantages of a strengthened JI mechanism beyond 2012. The papers propose various reforms to further expand and strengthen the current JI. Please click here to download the Legal Paper and here to download the Policy Paper.

Climate Focus submitted its comments to the CDM Executive Board on the draft of the updated version of the validation and verification manual.

Climate Focus views on the draft documents prepared by the Ad hoc Working Group of Working Group 3 (Emissions Trading of the Climate Change Committee and the Commission) proposing the harmonization of approval procedures by Member States applicable to CDM hydroelectric project activities with generating capacity above 20 MW.

Client briefing dedicated to US climate law. It summarizes the main features of the Climate Security Act. The act, sponsored by the Senators Lieberman and Warner, is currently the most prominent piece of proposed US federal climate legislation. Furthermore, Climate Focus prepared a post-scriptum which summarizes the main changes as included in the revised Climate Security Act that was released on 22 May 2008.

The EU Commission’s proposal for the EU ETS III period contains many positive features and suggestions for EU ETS reform, but provides a very weak and disappointing support for future CDM and JI projects. This memo summarizes the treatment of CERs and ERUs (and other international offsets) as presented in this proposal.

EU member states’ requirements for the approval of large hydro CDM project has generated confusion. This memo provides an update on the discussion and looks ahead and assesses EU wide attempts to harmonise the approval requirements.

A submission on ways to strengthen the effectiveness of the CDM was sent to the UNFCCC on March 2008 by Climate Focus and a group of collaborators. It discusses ways to improve the scope, effectiveness and functioning of afforestation and reforestation (A/R) activities under the CDM with the recognition that doing so will help enhance the regional distribution of CDM projects.

Mobilizing Public and Private Resources for the Protection of Tropical Rainforests:

The 9th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (December 2003) adopted the modalities and procedures for the inclusion of afforestation and reforestation (A/R) projects in the CDM. In the light of the application of these modalities, the Commission is to give due consideration to whether and, if so, how credits from land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF) activities could be used in entity-level emissions trading in the EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS). This briefing note does not anticipate any political decision on the topic, but rather looks at how an amendment to Directive 2003/87/EC (as amended by Directive 2004/101/EC) could be drafted in case the EU law maker decides to allow the use of CERs from A/R project activities and ERUs from LULUCF project activities for compliance under the EU ETS.

Policy Brief: Inclusion of temporary credits from CDM forestry projects into the EU emission trading scheme (2005), by Charlotte Streck, Benoit Bosquet and Bernhard Schlamadinger, published in CDM Investment Newsletter Nr. 5, 2005.