South-South Exchange: Developing Domestic Offset Schemes (March 2014)
The Secretariat, with support from the government of UK, hosted a south-south exchange on the development of domestic offset systems. The workshop featured key developments in offset systems and plans for such systems, and provided a platform for discussion and knowledge exchange.
Date:
Mar 02, 2014
Venue:
Mexico City, Mexico
| March 2, 2014 | ||
| 8:30 | Registration | |
| 1. Opening | ||
| 9:00 | ||
| Moderator: Luis Muñozcano | ||
| Xueman Wang, PMR Secretariat | ||
| 2. Domestic Offset Programs Close Up | ||
| Building on experiences with the CDM, some developing countries are designing their own domestic offset schemes. Different drivers spur these schemes: some programs are being developed to build and maintain a foundation for a domestic carbon market; others are developed to manage the costs of a carbon pricing instrument implemented as either a national ETS or carbon tax. The design of these programs reflects countries’ national circumstances and the interplay of the offset program with other elements of national climate policy. In this segment, representatives from emerging offset programs presented the rational, objectives, status, short- and medium-term direction, and challenges facing the development of their programs. | ||
| 9:30 | ||
| Wang Shu, National Development and Reform Commission, China | ||
| China: Domestic Offset Scheme | ||
| Felipe De León, Programa Acción Clima Dirección de Cambio Climático, Colombia | ||
| Costa Rica: The Carbon Market (MCCR) | ||
| Brieanne Aguila, Air Resources Board, California | ||
| California: Compliance Offset Program | ||
| Francis Beland-Plante, Ministry for Sustainable Development, Québec | ||
| Québec: Offset System | ||
| 11:30 | Break | |
| 11:45 | ||
| Soffía Alarcón Díaz, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Mexico | ||
| Mexico: Towards a Climate Market | ||
| Mkhuthazi Steleki, Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa | ||
| South Africa: Broad Overview on Domestic Offset Potential | ||
| 12:45 | Lunch | |
| 3. Review of International Experience in Establishing Offset Program | ||
| 14:00 | ||
| Felicity Spors, PMR Secretariat | ||
| Summary of Feedback to Define the PMR Offset Working Group Scope of Work | ||
| Randal Spalding-Fecher, | ||
| International Experience with Offset Programmes: Options for Discussion | ||
| 4. Offset Program Specifics in Relation to the 3C Principles of Credibility, Consistency, and Compatibility | ||
| In general, all offset programs seek to adhere to the principles of environmental integrity and economic efficiency. Different options exist for offset program design in terms of governance structure, program scope, the GHG calculation standards applied, and project cycles (i.e., MRV, validation, and verification procedures and stakeholder participation). These options have an impact on the operationalization of the principles of environmental integrity and economic efficiency. Participants discussed their understanding of the 3C principles in groups. Questions included: How can countries build on the offset experience and capacity gained from the CDM, JI, and VER markets within their specific national contexts? Which elements of the “existing offset regimes governance structures” can be applied in order to develop cost effective and efficient processes (e.g., registry, certification agency, tracking tools, and enforcement measures) for national offset programs that also live up to the 3C principles? How can the established standards and methodologies be tailored to national circumstances (i.e., sectors, data availability, and cost considerations) without compromising the 3C principles? |
||
| 15:00 | ||
| Break-out Group Discussion | ||
| 16:00 | Break | |
| 16:15 | ||
| Feedback from Break-out Groups | ||
| 5. Prioritizing Common Issues in Domestic Offset Design | ||
| 17:00 | ||
| Round Table Discussion to identify the top issues that need to be addressed when developing offset programs | ||
| 17:45 | Wrap up | |
| End of event | ||