New International Standard for Carbon Removal: Resources
Carbon removal has a new international standard ahead of COP29. The Article 6.4 Supervisory Body, part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, finalized requirements for activities involving carbon removal under the Article 6.4 Mechanism.
The carbon removal definition used in the international standard aligns with the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) definition that the Carbon Business Council called for. The Carbon Business Council organized a letter signed by more than 100 carbon removal leaders from around the world to the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body’s expanding on why carbon removal is an essential component for a just energy transition and to limit warming to 1.5 °C, along with the variety of co-benefits from carbon removal pathways. The letter requested for the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body to adopt the UN’s IPCC definition of carbon removal to create a level playing field for removals and spur innovation.
The A6.4-SBM014-A06 standard lays the groundwork for tech-neutral policy for carbon removal, and includes removals storage in “geological, terrestrial, or ocean reservoirs, or in products.” The implementation of the standard will be an ongoing process, including what methodologies are eligible.
Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement shapes how global carbon markets operate.
Resources:
Carbon Business Council resources on the new standard.
A6.4-SBM014-A06, Requirements for activities involving removals under the Article 6.4 mechanism (V01.0) , the new international carbon removal standard.
Carbon Business Council’s 2023 letter about why carbon removal is such an integral element of Article 6 and the Paris Agreement:
Background about Article 6.
Carbon Business Council’s Issue Brief on Defining Carbon Removal.
Carbon Business Council’s Issue Brief on Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification.
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Carbon Business Council (CO2BC), a member-driven and tech-neutral trade association of companies unified to restore the climate, is the preeminent industry voice for carbon management innovators. Together, the nonprofit coalition represents more than 100 companies across six continents with more than $16.5 billion in combined assets.
