Climate Change Center

 

 

 CCC Belém Report 

Key Takeaways from COP30 in Belém
PART 1. Article 6 of the Paris Agreement

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the second week of COP30, CCC and Gold Standard co-hosted an official UNFCCC side event under the theme “Delivering for People and Nature under Article 6 and New Markets.” The session explored how Article 6 mechanisms and emerging carbon markets can move beyond the transaction of emission reductions to deliver meaningful benefits for both people and ecosystems. Placing “co-benefits for people and nature” at the centre aligned the event with the broader COP30 emphasis on justice, integrity and implementation.

 

 

Opening and Keynote | Article 6 as a Catalyst for High-Integrity Climate Action: From Tonnes Reduced to Real Impact for People and Nature

CCC Chairman Jai-chul Choi reminded participants that Article 6 was designed as a practical implementation tool for NDCs — and must now be judged not only by tonnes reduced, but also by what it delivers for local communities and the natural environment.

 

Gold Standard CEO Margaret Kim outlined Article 6’s three foundational pillars — ambition, sustainable development and integrity — and illustrated through a clean cookstove project in Zimbabwe how a single activity can advance multiple SDGs. Done well, Article 6 can transform carbon credits into catalysts for systemic, long-term change.

 

 

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Presentations | Article 6 Through Finance, Institutions and Field Practice
 

 Presentation 1  Mobilising Finance (ADB)
ADB’s Noel O’Brien highlighted that public finance alone cannot meet developing countries’ NDC needs, noting that Article 6 can help unlock private capital through results-based payments, early credit-purchase agreements, and blended structures that combine carbon revenues with concessional finance. He added that nature-based and community-level energy projects are particularly well suited for these financing models.

 

 

 Presentation 2  Building Institutions (Bangladesh)
Dr. Muniur Khan explained that although Bangladesh has made progress in establishing Article 6 frameworks, gaps in registries, MRV systems and local finance channels hinder practical implementation. He warned that without visible, felt benefits for villages and households, Article 6 risks becoming “a system people hear about but never feel.”

 

 Presentation 3  Integrity in Practice (Practical Action)
Dr. Bernadette Demet stressed that community governance, FPIC, gender/youth participation and social–ecological outcomes must be built from the design stage. Integrity cannot be achieved if social elements are added after carbon modelling. Early community benefits help build trust.

 

 Panel Discussion  Integrity, Safeguards and Market Trust
A panel moderated by ITMO Ltd.’s Michael Krill Matres brought perspectives from Ghana, Bangladesh, ADB and Practical Action.
Key messages included:
1. Market trust requires non-negotiables: preventing double counting, transparent MRV and robust national governance.
2. Safeguards must expand beyond REDD+ to clean cooking, renewables and energy access projects.
3. Article 6 cannot become a “right to emit” — credits must complement, not replace, domestic mitigation.
4. Rights and participation are core to integrity, not technical add-ons.

 

Article 6 must evolve into a people- and nature-centred market, not just a carbon accounting tool.

 

Four Lessons for the Future of Article 6 Markets
1. Shift from “emissions only” to “benefits for people and nature.” : Carbon markets must embed social and ecological outcomes as core metrics.
2. Strong national institutions are the basis for market trust. : MRV, registries, safeguards and transparent governance are essential foundations.
3. Community participation and rights are the heart of integrity. : Without them, benefits are fragile and legitimacy cannot be sustained.
4. Blended finance is necessary for high-integrity markets. : Public–private structures are needed to deliver mitigation, adaptation and local development at once.

 

CCC will continue advancing trust-based cooperation with developing countries and supporting high-integrity Article 6 implementation ahead of COP31.

 

 

 

 

 

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 CCC Belém Interview 

“Carbon markets are ecosystems of people, nature and trust.”
Jina Kang, Head of Developing Countries Cooperation Team

 

 

Q1. What moment stood out most?
In Belém, Article 6 debates felt deeply human. Outside the venue, Indigenous groups protested; inside, registries and MRV were being discussed. Practical Action’s stories from Peru and Nepal — where women and youth helped shape projects — underscored that Article 6 influences rights, livelihoods and daily life, not just credit issuance.

 

 

Q2. How did Article 6 discussions connect to the broader COP30 agenda?
COP30 shifted focus from ambition to implementation. Many climate-vulnerable countries have strategies on paper but lack capacity, finance and execution pathways. For Article 6, implementation means strengthening market trust, national systems and community engagement.

 

 

CCC will prioritise three areas:
- Embedding integrity through rights- and community-centred project design
- Supporting implementation capacity in developing countries (MRV, registries, project readiness)
- Developing blended public–private models that deliver integrated mitigation, adaptation and SDG outcomes

 

 

Article 6 must become a platform for cooperation, resilience and shared development, not a purely technical carbon market.