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President Trump’s orders, which include withdrawing from international climate agreements and declaring an energy emergency, emphasize domestic production and regulatory reform.

By Nikki Buffa, Devin O’Connor, Janice Schneider, Stacey VanBelleghem, and Brian McCall

On the first day of his second term in office, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders and memoranda that signal a significant shift in US energy and environmental policy. These actions aim to reshape the regulatory landscape, prioritize domestic conventional…

Muir Woods

The Supervisory Body published the Methodology Guidance and the Removal Guidance to be presented for discussion in COP28.

By Jean-Philippe Brisson, Paul A. Davies, Joshua T. Bledsoe, Michael Dreibelbis, Qingyi Pan, and Brett Frazer*

After two years of discussion, the Supervisory Body (SB) responsible for determining the guidelines for Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement published two sets of recommendations, which will be presented for consideration and adoption by the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) at the 28th annual Conference of Parties (COP28).

The first recommendation came on November 16, 2023, when the SB published guidelines on the requirements for the development and assessment of Article 6.4 mechanism methodologies (the Methodology Guidance).[i] The second recommendation followed the next day, when the SB published guidelines on activities involving removals under the Article 6.4 mechanism (the Removal Guidance).[ii]

The Claims Code seeks to ensure the integrity of voluntary carbon markets to support achievement of the Paris Agreement goals.

By Jean-Philippe Brisson, Paul A. Davies, Sarah E. Fortt, Betty M. Huber, Alicia Robinson, and Deric Behar

The Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity (VCMI) Initiative is “a multi-stakeholder platform to drive credible, net-zero aligned participation in voluntary carbon markets.” The VCMI Initiative, for which the UK government announced its support in March 2021, is co-funded by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the UK Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy. A central objective of VCMI is to issue guidance for companies and other non-state actors on how carbon credits can be voluntarily used and claimed as part of credible net zero decarbonization strategies. To further this objective, VCMI published for public consultation a Provisional Claims Code of Practice (Claims Code) on June 7, 2022.

The report lays down policies aimed at fostering carbon neutrality in the UK by 2050 and supporting Paris Agreement pledges.

By Paul A. Davies and Michael D. Green

On 9 December 2020, the UK Climate Change Committee (the Committee) published its 6th Carbon Budget (the Budget), as required under the Climate Change Act. The Budget provides ministers with advice on the volume of greenhouse gases the UK can emit during the period 2033-2037 and also contains policies designed to place the UK on track to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Budget comes in the context of the UK bolstering its climate ambitions ahead of hosting the COP26 in Glasgow next year, as the Prime Minister has recently committed to cutting emissions by at least 68% from 1990 levels by 2030. The Government also published a ten-point plan aimed at boosting the green economy.

A new report shows headway in reducing greenhouse gases and details the latest climate change policy developments.

By Paul A. Davies and Michael D. Green

On 30 November 2020, the European Commission (EC) adopted the EU Climate Action Progress Report Kick-starting the journey towards a climate-neutral Europe by 2050 (the Report). The Report, which is produced annually, details recent developments in EU climate policy and progress made by the EU and its Member States. The EC’s Directorate-General for Climate Action compiles the Report based on data provided by Member States under the Climate Monitoring Mechanism Regulation.

President Xi Jinping promises to reduce carbon emissions in speech before the UN General Assembly.

By Paul A. Davies, Michael D. Green, R. Andrew Westgate, and Jacqueline J. Yap

On 22 September 2020, during a speech before the UN General Assembly, President Xi Jinping announced China’s commitment to become carbon neutral by 2060 and reaffirmed China’s commitment under the Paris Agreement to peak its carbon emissions by 2030. China is the world’s largest greenhouse gas (GHG) polluter and emitted approximately 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide in 2018, according to the Global Carbon Project. Given this, China’s commitment to become carbon neutral by 2060 would significantly reduce global GHG emissions and set the stage for China’s development of a green economy.