During the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 29), on 16 November, side events addressed Paris Agreement Article 6 (cooperative approaches), the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), judicial perspectives and climate litigation, and long-term strategies and financing the energy transition.
One event focused on Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement on climate change, which enables countries to exchange emission reductions and removals through bilateral agreements, and provided an overview of implementing Article 6.2 activities, including how to ensure high integrity, and challenges and lessons learned thus far. The event highlighted the Paris Agreement Article 6 Implementation Partnership (A6IP), established by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan (MOEJ), and findings from the A6IP’s Implementation Status Report. Successful implementation of Article 6, one speaker noted, includes increased capacity-building efforts, inclusive participation in the process, and further engagement of the private sector.
Participants discussed ongoing work towards high integrity of carbon markets, with panelists addressing: the selection and prioritization of high-integrity activities under Article 6.2 and key considerations of the government to ensure high-integrity activity implementation; and methods by which the private sector can ensure high-integrity implementation of Article 6.2 activities. Speakers mentioned Thailand’s creation of a government agency to oversee and manage Article 6.2 implementation and Ghana’s partnership with Switzerland. The event was organized by the A6IP Center, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Global Environment Centre Foundation, MOEJ, Federal Office for the Environment in Switzerland, and KliK Foundation.
Long-term low-emission development strategies (LT-LEDS) for a just transition to net-zero emissions was the focus of another side event, which addressed support for LT-LEDS preparation and implementation while aligning them with nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Thus far, 75 countries have submitted their strategies, many with net-zero targets. The event mentioned: the International Renewable Energy Agency’s (IRENA) Long-term Energy Scenarios (LTES) Network and the World Bank’s Joint Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) Long-Term Strategy Program (LTS-P), which supports countries in developing and implementing their long-term strategies. Speakers also spoke to Brazil’s and Nigeria’s experiences in developing their LT-LEDS. The event was organized by the UNFCCC Secretariat.
Another side event focused on the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), through which Japanese companies and the government offer technology and financial support to partner countries to implement mitigation measures, with emission reductions shared as JCM credits. Partner countries updated on their efforts to implement Article 6 and the status of JCM implementation. To date, the JCM has partnered with 29 countries, which together are involved in more than 250 JCM projects, ranging from renewable energy to energy efficiency and transportation.
The event emphasized that countries are progressing on legal frameworks to ensure rules are upheld. Assistance provided through the Japan Fund for the Joint Crediting Mechanism has mobilized USD 137 million in grant funding for the adoption of low-carbon technologies, including in Mongolia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Regarding expectations for future projects to be implemented under the JCM, speakers mentioned carbon capture and storage (CCS), offshore wind power, and energy efficiency in buildings and power generation. The event was organized by MOEJ and the Overseas Environmental Cooperation Centre (OECC).
Another event provided the opportunity for judges and legal experts to discuss their role in finding solutions to climate change-related disputes and to share knowledge on innovative legal mechanisms and judicial perspectives on climate litigation. Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), noted the evolving role of the judiciary as civil society turns to courts to force governments and businesses to act, particularly in the climate arena, and called for commitment to the rule of law and institutional support for judges.
Other speakers noted: growing integration of human rights in climate action that has now become the basis of claims before both domestic and international courts and tribunals; the role of judges in addressing climate-related disputes evolving past merely applying and interpreting the law; and a judicial training programme in Asia, which has provided a platform for judges to come together and discuss judicial solving techniques, experiences, and best practices in climate change-related disputes. One panelist cited recent trends in climate litigation, including: integration of human rights in just transition; meaningful engagement with Indigenous Peoples and local communities; and inclusivity in policies and legal frameworks.
During a panel discussion on building a stronger collective understanding of how courts can best respond to the challenges of climate litigation, one judge mentioned the need to revisit legal standards on: legal standing to sue; negligence and strict liability approaches to climate litigation; emergency measures; substantive and procedural law; and statute of limitations. A roundtable discussion included Supreme Court justices from India, Nepal, Indonesia, Mozambique, and Pakistan.
The event was organized by UNEP, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL), the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL), and others.