Carbon Market Watch, scrutinises carbon markets and advocates for fair and effective climate protection. Carbon Market Watch was launched in November 2012 to expand the work of CDM Watch to areas beyond the CDM.

CDM Watch was set up in 2009 as an initiative of several international NGOs to provide an independent perspective on individual CDM projects and to critically assess the political decision-making process affecting wider carbon market developments. CDM Watch successfully advocated for stronger civil society participation, major policy changes at the UN and EU level and uncovered unprecedented scandals in the CDM.

Carbon Market Watch will continue the activities of CDM Watch and expand its work to other carbon market initiatives, including new market mechanisms, the EU-ETS, Joint Implementation, Emissions Trading and mechanisms to reduce emissions from degradation and deforestation (REDD).

Carbon Market Watch is active on three levels – at the UN level, within Europe and the Global South.

UNFCCC

They advocate for stronger environmental and social integrity of UN offsetting schemes and new market mechanisms by:

• -Raising concerns at all major UNFCCC and CDM Executive Board meetings
• -Campaigning against harmful CDM and other offsetting projects
• -Providing critical input to policy developments.

Europe

They work to ensure that European governments live up to their claims that they are at the forefront of international efforts to combat climate change by:

• -Campaigning for EU action against carbon credits that do not represent real emission reductions
• -Advocating to uphold human rights and promote sustainable development
• -Pressuring buyers not to purchase carbon credits from socially and environmentally harmful projects.

Global South

They work to empower and enable civil society around the world to have a strong voice in carbon market developments by:

• -Publicly exposing weak governance rules and practices
• -Organising capacity building workshops and providing tools and assistance
• -Supporting actions and campaigns against problematic offsetting projects at national and international levels.