Methodology
ACHIEVE’s main objective is to support the development, improvement and scaling up of voluntary climate action (VCA) towards net zero transition in the EU and globally in line with the Paris Agreement. This will be achieved through the following project outcomes:
Provide a comprehensive mapping of current voluntary climate initiatives, carbon credits' role to them, and approaches used to assess them.
Develop a framework for assessing high-integrity voluntary climate action. Increase transparency and trust in voluntary climate action by making the framework easily accessible for different stakeholder groups.
Conduct systematic assessments of voluntary climate initiatives, their alignment with high-integrity principles, their use of carbon credits, and their consistency with regulations and policies aimed at achieving net-zero emissions by mid-century globally. Identify critical areas for strengthening the integrity and impact of voluntary climate action.
Develop recommendations on strengthening and scaling up high-integrity voluntary climate action.
Develop recommendations on how international, EU, national policies and regulations, and high-integrity voluntary climate action can mutually strengthen each other.
Produce transition pathway scenarios for subnational authorities, financial institutions, and companies to support different stakeholders and policymakers in their design, inclusion, and scaling up of voluntary climate efforts. Contribute to a better understanding of sustainability co-benefits and trade-offs.
Increase the capacity for assessing and improving the integrity of voluntary climate initiatives worldwide, by making methods, models, data, and research findings openly accessible, sharing best practices, and engaging policymakers and stakeholders across developed and developing countries.