Linkages between Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and Voluntary Carbon Markets: Nordic Perspectives and Points of Convergence

Published by Carbon Limits for the Nordic Initiative for Cooperative Approaches, this report examines the relationship between Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and voluntary carbon markets. It outlines where the two systems can support each other through harmonised crediting approaches, shared infrastructure, and safeguards. The analysis highlights Nordic priorities, such as environmental integrity, robust accounting, and avoiding market fragmentation, and recommends measures for enabling Article 6-aligned credit use in corporate claims and financing structures.

Unlocking the blue carbon premium: How natural capital and resilience are repricing carbon

Earth Security reports that despite their ecological and climate value, blue carbon projects remain underfunded due to undervalued credits. This report offers a premium pricing strategy, anchored in co-benefit certification, equitable benefit-sharing, and market positioning, to elevate blue carbon as a high-impact climate asset. It explores buyer trends, price benchmarks, and certification systems, calling for developers, buyers, and standard-setters to collectively reshape market expectations around value and integrity.

The great climate solution: The amazon rainforest and carbon market

A report by Earth Innovation Institute states that the Amazon Forest Climate Solution (AFCS) offers a near-term pathway to global climate impact, potentially achieving 1.5 GtCO₂e in reductions by 2030, double the EU target. Brazil’s jurisdictional REDD+ (JREDD+) programs are central to this, generating credits tied to state-wide performance, not isolated projects. The report highlights regulatory clarity, Article 6 integration, and partnerships (e.g. with China) as critical to scaling. JREDD+ could yield $10–20B in revenue and support inclusive forest economies.

VCMI’s Scope Action Code of Practice

This guidance from VCMI helps companies navigate Scope 3 emissions in line with credible climate action. It outlines three key principles: reduce first, disclose transparently, and limit credit use to no more than 25% of Scope 3 emissions annually. The Code complements SBTi targets and integrity claims, ensuring that corporate offsetting strategies do not undermine decarbonization. It aims to create demand-side accountability, clarify buyer claims, and bolster trust in high-quality carbon markets as part of the net zero transition.

Country Guidance for Navigating Carbon Markets

This June 2025 report by VCMI (in partnership with the World Bank, GIZ, UNDP, UNFCCC and others) provides country-focused guidance to develop high-integrity carbon market strategies: from authorising credits, to pricing and governance frameworks, to help governments confidently engage with international carbon finance.

Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) Label Guidance

In January 2025, Verra announced that it’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program is eligible for the first phase of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) that will run until 2026. This means that more verified carbon credits will get CORSIA labels and this guidance documents explains how the supplies of eligible credits can apply. The guidance advices on double counting avoidance, stating that credits with 2021 vintages onwards will need an Article 6 authorisation and to meet other criteria to be eligble.

Indigenous Shareholder-ship in Environmental Markets

In September 2024, Climate Collective published a ‘non-exhaustive analysis’ of Indigenous participation in carbon and nature markets. It covered the challenges Indigenous Peoples can face during each phase of a project’s delivery and considered the effectiveness of FPIC. The reports looked into different models of engagements and business models which reframe revenue sharing into buying services from Indigenous Peoples.

2024 Criteria for High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal

This guidance is an update on Microsoft and Carbon Direct’s 2021 criteria for high-quality carbon dioxide removal. Published in July 2024, it recommends that project developers share a percentage of project revenue with local people and community partners and that the form these payments take should be agreed upon during project set-up. It discusses both nature and tech-based removals.

Voluntary Carbon Markets: Potential, Pitfalls, and the Path Forward

This report from CCAG makes recommendations to improve the VCM’s capacity to reduce emissions and accelerate their removal from the atmosphere. Published in June 2024, it would like to see improvements to the standards; carbon credits used alongside deep, sustained emission reduction and a greater level of co-benefit integration into carbon project design.