development of the voluntary carbon offset market

The development of the voluntary carbon offset market from the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Climate Protection Treaty is of interest to Klima-Kollekte as a carbon offset provider operating in the voluntary market. In the following, we explain the current status (as of February 09, 2021, data subject to change) and would like to point out that the final developments cannot yet be foreseen in their entirety.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries are obliged to reduce their GHG emissions; under the Paris Climate Change Treaty, all countries have committed to reduce their GHG emissions. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), under which companies in industrialized countries previously obligated to finance emission reductions in developing and emerging countries and receive credit for them as savings, expires at the end of 2021.

In order to avoid double counting of the same carbon savings in Germany and in the host country of the project, Klima-Kollekte would like to be able to continue to transparently demonstrate whether the carbon reductions achieved in its climate protection projects are credited by the host country towards meeting its climate target. If this is not the case, the host country's reporting must not include the carbon reductions achieved. Exactly what procedures can be used to organize this will possibly be discussed at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November 2021.

We will keep you informed of developments. If you have any questions, please contact the office at info@klima-kollekte.de.

A "Good" from the German Consumer Organization “Stiftung Warentest” for the Klima-Kollekte

Stiftung Warentest examined various providers that consumers can use to compensate for greenhouse gase emissions. In the test period from June to September 2022, Klima Kollekte gGmbH was one of a total of four compensation providers examined - and awarded the quality rating "1.7" (good).

The quality of the compensation was decisive for the positive test result of Klima-Kollekte gGmbH. In order to measure this, the certificates attesting to the projects' CO2 savings were evaluated. The best marks were awarded to certificates issued in accordance with the Gold Standard. The Gold Standard is a seal of approval for climate protection projects in developing countries. It was developed in 2003 by the WWF and other environmental associations and aims to ensure that projects benefit not only the climate but also people. In this respect, Klima-Kollekte scored among the best, as it works with the particularly demanding Gold Standard certificates.

The fact that Klima-Kollekte gGmbH clearly refers to the principle of avoidance and reduction before compensation on its website and provides further information for consumers on sub-pages was also rated as very good.

The detailed test results can be found in the current issue of Finanztest (11/2022) and on the Stiftung Warentest website.