Operationalising Article 6 of the Paris Agreement: Integrity, Equity, and Efficiency in Global Carbon Markets Post-COP29

Abstract

Speaker: Majid Asadnabizadeh Asbjørn Torvanger Article 6 of the Paris Agreement remains a contested pillar of international climate governance, reflecting persistent tensions between efficiency, environmental integrity, equity, and legitimacy in global carbon markets. This article analyses the operationalisation of Article 6.2 and the Article 6.4 Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) following COP29 and toward COP30. Using issue framing, thematic analysis, and process tracing, it evaluates recent procedural and institutional developments and their distributive implications. While technical improvements—such as clarified authorisation rules, enhanced registry interoperability, strengthened accounting procedures, and the inclusion of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) under Article 6.4—have improved operational functionality, risks of overstated mitigation outcomes and uneven environmental integrity persist. The study demonstrates how institutional and procedural design choices actively shape fairness and legitimacy in global carbon markets, an aspect largely absent from post-COP29 analyses. By linking governance structures, capacity asymmetries, and power dynamics to distributive outcomes, the article provides a conceptual framework for designing credible, transparent, and equitable carbon market mechanisms, offering actionable insights for policymakers, negotiators, and the climate governance literature.