Domestic Carbon Initiatives in Europe: Experiences and Opportunities

Domestic offset projects not only have the potential to achieve emission reductions in sectors and by entities not addressed by the EU ETS, but can also foster innovation, deliver co-benefits for the region and bring forward voluntary methods as blueprints for the compliance markets. It is therefore paramount to explore how to join efforts and scale up the impact of domestic carbon offsetting across Europe in order to contribute to ambitious climate action and to support the transformation towards low-carbon economies.

For this reason, the Gold Standard Foundation and the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) organised an expert workshop on domestic carbon initiatives in Europe on 19 June 2015, supported by adelphi. It facilitated the dialogue among domestic offset initiatives in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The conference provided a vital, productive first step in an effort to institutionalize mutual learning and to establish a forum for coordination. This publication summarises the key lessons and recommendations that emerged from the conference.

Find all presentations on the German Federal Emissions Trading Authority's website.