Article 6 Pipeline

Article 6 of the Paris Agreement provides a framework for countries to cooperate towards the implementation of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) through carbon markets (Articles 6.2 and 6.4) and non-market modalities (Article 6.8). These cooperative approaches can help countries to achieve and enhance their NDC targets. The overall objective is to increase climate ambition, promote sustainable development, and safeguard environmental integrity.  

Building on the extensive experience from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC) has set up an Excel-based database for Article 6 activities. The aim is to provide insights on the development of Article 6 projects, their contribution to countries’ NDC implementation and SDG achievement at the national and global level. Find a short video introducing this work here. 

UNEP-CCC will continue expanding this pipeline’s functionality as new Article 6 projects emerge and the modalities become clearer. Ultimately, the pipeline will take the shape of a more interactive and user-friendly platform. This will provide transparency and allow users to easily explore information on cooperation under Article 6.

First Proposed Activities for the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) under Article 6.4 – Notifications of Prior Consideration

The following chart shows that most of these projects have already begun a few years ago. However, the deadline for these retroactive notifications has passed. From now, proponents need to submit the notification no later than 180 days after the start of the project.

The second slide illustrates in which sectors these activities aim to mitigate emissions and how large the impact (in tonnes of CO2 equivalents per year) is estimated to be. Each dot represents one activity and clicking on it reveals additional information. This includes parameters like the host Party, type of activity, the start date, and a link to the submitted form for further context. The third slide gives the same overview for all programmes.

By selecting a geographic region or category, the activities and emerging patterns can be explored in more detail. For example, (renewable) energy projects represent the most common category with more than 350 projects and covers a wide range of different sizes – from just a few hundred tonnes per year for a solar project in Zambia to a leak detection and repair system for fossil gas infrastructure in Uzbekistan that could generate more than 7 million credits annually.

The data and categorizations are based on the limited information from the forms submitted to the UNFCCC. While future revisions based on a more detailed understanding of the projects are likely, this first overview provides insights into the kind of activities are being pursued under the new mechanism.

Activities Transitioning from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to Article 6.4

The deadline for submitting requests has passed. In this explainer video, we examine those activities that intend to transition using CDM methodologies and outline the next steps.

Video on the CDM Transition (08:30 minutes) – find the slide deck here

Of the potential reductions of around 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2e that eligible activities could generate after transition while using CDM methodologies, this could amount to more than 900 million tonnes (60%). 

For more details (such as submissions by host countries, regions, and activity types) please refer to the sheet Analysis | PACM in the A6 Pipeline. Additional background on the projects potentially transitioning to the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) under Article 6.4 can be found in the CDM Pipeline and on the UNFCCC website.  

Designated National Authorities

Based on the last update on 8 January 2025, 99 Parties communicated their Designated National Authority (DNA) to the UNFCCC secretariat. More than two-thirds of all Parties across Africa (40 countries | 74%) have submitted information about their DNA, followed by Asia (27 | 56%) and the Americas (18 | 51%). Regular updates can be found here: Designated National Authorities (DNAs) | UNFCCC

Overview of the Bilateral Agreements and pilot projects/activities under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement  

The table below shows all agreements including associated projects and can easily be searched and filtered. The colours indicate the host region, which is further explored in the chart at the very bottom.

This final chart summarizes the cooperation among countries from the different regions. The representation of each region as a potential host of projects or seller of international mitigation outcomes is illustrated by the size of each coloured area. Whether the potential buyers are from the same or another region, can be traced by following or hovering over each of the chords.

For example, there are several agreements where countries from Africa or the Americas are expected to be the potential host of projects but none where they are the buyer. At the same time, the majority of expected transactions from Asian countries would also be transferred to buyers from Asia (mainly Japan, Singapore and South Korea).

Monthly News on the Article 6 Pipeline:

This month, the Article 6 Pipeline includes the following updates:

• Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM):
  • Requests for the transition of 22 additional CDM projects (18 of which are hosted in China) were published and are currently open for global stakeholder comments. One request for a hydroelectric power plant project in Chile was withdrawn.
  • Uganda approved the transition requests of all three projects and 10 programmes with activities in the country.
  • The transition of one programme was approved by the Supervisory Body (PoA 10415). Another one (PoA 10471) passed the substantive check and can transition pending a potential review request (deadline 12 March). Both are based in Myanmar and distribute more energy-efficient cookstoves.
  • 25 additional prior consideration notifications from activity proponents who intend to participate in the PACM were published by the UNFCCC. One clean cooking project in Rwanda was withdrawn. As a result, 1001 projects and programmes are now included in the database.

• Bilateral Cooperation:
  • Singapore and Bhutan signed an Implementation Agreement to cooperate under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. This follows the previous announcement of concluded negotiations between the countries from December 2023.
  • Under the Japanese Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), one Solar PV project based in the Philippines was added.
  • As part of bilateral agreements with Switzerland and Sweden, four additional projects were announced. One builds a solar park in Ghana and the other three focus on electric mobility in Chile, Ghana, and Uruguay.