Designing an international peatland carbon standard: criteria, best practices and opportunities : final report

In: Climate change 2019, 42

In: REFOPLAN of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

Abstract

The study presents a comparative analysis of model standards for project development and explores forward-looking options for voluntary peatland carbon engagement, including through integration into regulated carbon markets, notably the emerging offset market for international aviation ("CORSIA"), and the flexibility instruments enshrined in the Paris Agreement. The study is structured in a context chapter; a detailed comparative assessment of different standards that permit (or may permit) the implementation of peatland projects; in terms of environmental integrity and transaction and market aspects; recommendations for voluntary standards concerning the creation of a model peatland standard and for governments to support voluntary peatland developments; as well as an option assessment for the integration of a model peatland standard into the regulated schemes of the International Organization of Civil Aviation (ICAO) and of the Paris Agreement. Recommendations for peatland standards focus on simplification options within the carbon cycle, implementation methods for small and micro-scale projects, design options that allow project implementation for short- and mid-term durations, and robust instruments to address double counting issues. Recommendations for governments focus on the development of domestic support mechanisms for voluntary carbon project development as well as on the option to create international action groups on peatland and climate engagement, taking existing action groups in other mitigation sectors as a model.