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Climate Investments

Taking Stock of Government Engagement with the Voluntary Carbon Market

Bringing it Home

By Molly Peters-Stanley - Ecosystem Marketplace
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Government engagement with voluntary carbon market mechanisms is nothing new. But in contrast to a few years ago, governments are now increasingly turning to private sector mechanisms to deliver reductions on par with regulated instruments like the CDM; to address emissions sources neglected by current market frameworks; to enhance domestic companies’ supply chain competitiveness; and/or to reduce the cost to operate a domestic market by outsourcing some functions.
This report includes thirteen case studies that emerge from a survey that Ecosystem Marketplace distributed to governments that have developed or are developing domestic voluntary carbon markets, or that back the use of independent standards or registries that originated in the voluntary carbon market. The report casts a wide net across government programs in order to set a baseline for future inquiry – it is by no means exhaustive. We do not describe private sector programs or early-stage initiatives being tested or considered in Chile, Colombia, South Africa and other regions – but hope to do so in the future.