Transformative Design of Article 6 Programs for Net Zero emissions by 2050 – 15.12.2020

Background and workshop idea

Transformational change and its integration into climate change mitigation activities in effect mainstreams sustainable development, the former so-called ‘co-benefits’ of mitigation activities, into outcomes at scale contributing to net zero emissions by 2050. This is because transformative climate and sustainable development outcomes at scale and sustained over time are intrinsically interlinked in a way, where assessment of impacts enable that synergies are promoted and negative trade-offs are mitigated or avoided. Therefore, advancing the concept of transformative Article 6 (A6) activity design supports the Sustainable Development Initiatives (SDI) for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement goal of promoting sustainable development in Article 6.

Against this background, this webinar is going to explore ways of how to integrate transformational change into A6 activity design and discuss, what needs to be done to translate this into practice. The workshop will address practitioners from Parties active in A6 pilot activities, scholars and consultants working in the field. Conceptually, these ideas may also influence voluntary carbon markets, as they increasingly align with Article 6 provision.

Workshop agenda

1. Welcome and introduction (Christof Arens, Wuppertal Institute)

2. Setting the scene – Explaining the conceptual framework and providing a working definition of “transformational change” (Karen Holm Olsen, UNEP DTU)

3. Experiences from pilots and other work: Fenella Aouane (GGGI), Klaus Oppermann (The World Bank), Jessica Orrego (ART   REDD+    Operating Manager / Winrock International)

4. In-depth discussion in break out groups of selected transformative design topics:

a. Definition of transformation for Article 6 (Karen Olsen, UNEP DTU)
b. Governance of upscaled activities that yield outcomes at scale (Randall Spalding-Fecher, CarbonLimits)
c. Baseline setting and additionality revisited (Lukas Hermwille, Wuppertal Institute)

5. Report backs from the break-out groups and outlook