Patch’s Post

Clever Offsets, Inc. knows that access to reliable information is the key that will unlock this market’s potential and grow the pie, and so does #POTUS. Big news today with the Office of the President of the United States bringing strong support the for #VoluntaryCarbonMarkets.

Clever knows that access to reliable information is the key that will unlock this market’s potential and grow the pie.  POTUS echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of voluntary carbon markets. The White House calls for robust standards, market improvements, and environmental justice in driving climate ambition and decarbonization stating "additional action is needed to rectify challenges that have emerged, restore confidence to the market, and ensure that VCMs live up to their potential to drive climate ambition and deliver on their decarbonization promise. This includes: establishing robust standards for carbon credit supply and demand; improving market functioning; ensuring fair and equitable treatment of all participants and advancing environmental justice, including fair distribution of revenue; and instilling market confidence." The White House further emphasized the importance of healthy markets to achieving climate goals. “VCMs have reached an inflection point. The Biden-Harris Administration believes that VCMs can drive significant progress toward our climate goals if action is taken to support robust markets undergirded by high-integrity supply and demand. With these high standards in place, corporate buyers and others will be able to channel significant, necessary financial resources to combat climate change through VCMs. A need has emerged for leadership to guide the development of VCMs toward high-quality and high-efficacy decarbonization actions. The Biden-Harris Administration is stepping up to meet that need.” Read the full statement from the White House here: https://lnkd.in/e2w2U4-y

📢 Exciting News from the White House 📢 This week the Biden-Harris Administration announced new principles to ensure high integrity in voluntary carbon markets: https://hubs.la/Q02z69ms0 These principles focus on transparency, real decarbonization, and fair practices— reinforcing the need for robust and credible carbon credits. This initiative aims to boost confidence in the voluntary carbon markets after the battering they have taken in the media in recent years and ensure they effectively contribute to climate goals and provide the economic benefits they claim. 🌍 At Climate Vault, we applaud this new initiative. Since our inception, our commitment to transparent, verifiable, and high-quality climate action has been a cornerstone of our methodology and climate solutions. We were formed out of our Co- Founder Michael Greenstone's frustration over the inability of the voluntary carbon markets to deliver on their promised results time and time again. Our approach to carbon measurement, reduction + removal aligns perfectly with the new standards released by the White House, and we look forward to witnessing the meaningful climate impact and economic opportunities that arise from this week's announcement. #ClimateAction #CarbonMarkets #Sustainability #HighIntegrity

As President Biden steps aside, one question high in many minds will be where does Kamala Harris stand on climate action. Thankfully the good people at Carbon Brief have pulled this summary together: “Some publications are already looking at the prospect of current vice-president Kamala Harris becoming the Democrats’ candidate. Politico examines how her views on climate change could differ from Biden’s: “Both have proposed spending historic sums on combating climate change and retooling the US economy to embrace clean sources instead of fossil fuels. Her plan would have gone even further. As a presidential candidate, Harris pitched a $10tn climate plan whose public and private investments would have dwarfed the total $1.6tn estimated federal cost of Biden’s major climate, energy, infrastructure and technology legislation. Unlike the administration’s current policies, she also would have instituted a ‘climate pollution fee’ and ended federal subsidies for fossil fuels. As a senator, she was an original co-sponsor of the non-binding resolution defining the Green New Deal, a blueprint for a large-scale mobilisation aimed at transitioning the US to 100% clean energy within a decade while providing people with job guarantees and ‘high-quality health care’. She was joined by liberals such as Ed Markey and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Harris also said she was ‘prepared to get rid of the filibuster’ to pass it in the face of GOP opposition to climate action.” Bloomberg says that Harris is “seen as a tougher oil industry opponent than Biden”, adding: “As California attorney general, Kamala Harris brought lawsuits against fossil fuel companies, prosecuted a pipeline company over an oil leak and investigated Exxon Mobil for misleading the public about climate change. Now, with the vice president suddenly in contention for the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden abandoned his reelection bid Sunday, that track record is of deep interest to both the US energy industry and climate activists alike.” ABC News has an article headlined: “Where Kamala Harris stands on Green New Deal and climate initiatives.” IEMA The Carbon Literacy Project Climate Lab Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) Thomas Burgdorff, PhD, AIEMA Jana Kovandzic Pataky, MIEMA CEnv Klimaschutzakademie Climate Fresk

With former U.S. President Donald Trump set to return to the White House, observers both within and outside of the country are waiting to see what he will do (or undo) in terms of climate policy. Afterall, as the world’s largest economy and a major emitter of greenhouse gases, the United States plays a major role in terms of climate negotiations and hitting global targets. This is something representatives at the COP29 summit, taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan this week, will be acutely aware of, as they come to the table to set new climate finance goals. If history is anything to go by, even domestically, U.S. investments into climate-friendly technologies were significantly lower under Trump than his successor and incumbent President Joe Biden. According to data compiled by the Clean Investment Monitor, investments into emissions-reducing tech are estimated to have reached around $15.4 billion in the first quarter of 2018, in contrast to the Biden administration’s high of $76.3 billion in the second quarter of 2024. This data includes investments in the manufacturing, energy, industry and retail sectors. Since data is only available on this dashboard from 2018 onwards, Trump's first year in office could not be shown. Biden took office with the vision of a “clean” energy future, aiming to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. In order to strengthen the U.S. as a hub for green industry, the Biden administration drew up sustainability guidelines for the awarding of public contracts, including the Federal Sustainability Plan. However, as the Federal Agency for Civic Education notes, while Biden's policy was designed to reduce domestic emissions of fossil fuels, it was not to restrict their extraction and use. Fossil fuels therefore continue to be a central part of U.S. energy policy. It remains to be seen what will follow in the coming four years. During Trump’s first term in office, he not only placed a clear focus on the promotion of fossil fuels but withdrew from the Paris Agreement and rolled back a number of environmental rules. In his most recent election campaign, Trump also said that he wants to undo many of Biden’s policies.

Going on the record about climate matters? Data transparency brings insights & comparison. Lever Room has identified some significant patterns in the world-leading climate data provided in NZ - it is an interesting read. We should expect more scrutiny like this, whether it is from journalists like Bernard Hickey, Ministry for the Environment | Manatū mō te Taiao or organisations like National Innovation Centre for Data in the UK. Thanks for sharing Rebecca Mills! FYI Andrew Schollum Emma Naji Stephen Clarke BA (Hons), PG Dip, MRIM Natasha Lewis Jennifer Hutcheon Devine Propulsion #dataethics #decisionsthatmatter #climatedata #mattersthatmatter #accesstoenvironmentaljustice #environmentaldata

Today, the U.S. government released Principles for Responsible Participation in Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCM).   Climate change is here, and we do not have another century to make a difference. To maintain a livable planet, we need clear and fast action, which will require significantly higher investment. Markets are one of the best ways to do that – they provide an entry point for much-needed new capital and they put that money in the hands of businesses and landowners contributing to climate action in the US and around the world.   As with everything, carbon markets need to be done right to get the results we need. There has been a significant evolution in the markets over the past five years, and these new principles are another means to help address concerns around integrity.    Markets and these guidelines work for climate solutions from all sectors – because we need them all. Nature can provide at least one third of the climate action needed, it’s available now, affordable and goes directly to supporting local communities, but only receives 3% of climate funding.   At Conservation International, we are thrilled to see the U.S. Government's vote of confidence. This move signals that high-integrity markets are not only necessary, but possible. 

High-integrity carbon markets are both necessary and possible that's what The White House is saying with this new policy statement. It's a big and much-needed signal to companies who want to take additional climate action. Very happy to see that these guidelines cover climate solutions from all sectors – because we need them all. Nature based solutions can provide at least one third of the climate action needed, are already available and go directly to supporting local communities in the US and in the Global South, but only receive 3% of climate funding. Markets can help change that. https://lnkd.in/ghcdVm8A

Important news on the global carbon markets this morning... The White House announced new guidelines for ensuring the integrity of carbon offsets. While these are in line with what industry leaders like The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) have been saying, the backing of the USG is meaningful. The carbon markets need to ramp given the warming and weather trends. As the WH statement says, "High-integrity, well-functioning VCMs [voluntary carbon markets] can accelerate decarbonization in several ways. VCMs can deliver steady, reliable revenue streams to a range of decarbonization projects, programs, and practices, including nature-based solutions and innovative climate technologies that scale up carbon removal. VCMs can also deliver important co-benefits both here at home and abroad, including supporting economic development..." https://lnkd.in/eyKtP-WQ

Last month, the US Government announced their approach to advancing high-integrity Voluntary Carbon Markets as part of broader plans to drive climate action and economic opportunity. A significant development, the announcement of these new principles highlights how VCMs are increasingly being recognised as beneficial to wider strategies to combat climate change, as long as a robust market is established and reliable, high-integrity credits are connected to credible buyers and environmental integrity is prioritised. Read the full fact sheet here: https://lnkd.in/e2w2U4-y #ClimateChange #Sustainability #ESG #VoluntaryCarbonMarkets