And that’s a wrap!
2023 will be remembered as a defining year for all things carbon. It also saw a surge of research, policy developments, and market trends that highlight the challenges and opportunities that are central to the voluntary carbon market.
The end of 2023 also saw two milestone accomplishments: the announcement of an integrated market integrity framework (to be developed by the VCMI and IC-VCM) and the month that saw the highest level of retirements ever.
Your inbox may already be full of forward-looking newsletters offering forecasts for 2024. Instead of doing the same, we thought we’d give you our selection of the best reports on the carbon market that came out last year.
These articles were selected for the quality, breadth, and depth of the research – as well as the clarity of the recommendations coming out of them. Whether you’re a business trying to navigate the market or a project developer interested in the latest market trends, there should be something for everyone!
Thallo’s selection of the best carbon reports for 2023.
‘The world needs carbon markets – here’s how to make them better‘ – Deloitte Insights (November 2023). This short and succinct article highlights some important recommendations on how to improve carbon markets. Rather than offering high-level recommendations, it provides specific recommendations for every stakeholder type. A useful primer on how to think about the market going forward.
‘Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets: A Playbook for Corporate Action‘ – World Economic Forum & Bain (September 2023). This report guides companies that recognize the climate imperative and possess the will to participate in the carbon market, but who remain on the sidelines due to ongoing market challenges and complexities. A must-read for ambitious corporate leaders.
‘Corporate Emission Performance and Use of Carbon Credits‘ – Trove Research Study (June 2023). This was a seminal report that researched 4,000 businesses to show that companies that purchase carbon credits are decarbonizing twice as fast as companies that do not. These findings have since been reinforced by others, such as Ecosystem Marketplace. Great research showcasing the important role that carbon credits can have in robust decarbonization pathways.
‘The Time for Carbon Removal Has Come‘ – Boston Consulting Group (September 2023). This report provides a helpful market outlook specific to long-duration carbon dioxide removal (CDR). It provides an excellent summary of the role different stakeholders can play in scaling this crucial industry.
‘Carbon Removals: How to scale a new gigaton industry‘ – Mckinsey (December 2023). In addition to helpfully providing a summary of the main types of CDR project types, this report highlights the broader market outlook as well as the key opportunities and challenges in the CDR landscape.
‘Fungibility in Carbon Markets‘ – Kita (November 2023). This report offers an concise overview of the challenges related to carbon credit fungibility and the evolving solutions—such as insurance—in the carbon market. If you’re still stuck in the ‘one-tonne is a tonne’ paradigm, this is for you.
‘The Next Frontier in Carbon Credits: Consumers‘ – Boston Consulting Group (March 2023). This report focuses on one of the most under-explored target segments: consumers. It highlights how transparency, amongst other key issues, will be key to unlocking consumer demand. A must-read for those seeking to unlock new customer segments via offsetting.
‘Making Credible Claims‘ – BeZero (September 2023). A great report by BeZero, a rating agency, introduces a new methodology for constructing risk-adjusted, net-zero-aligned portfolios for carbon credits. A great resource for all those building portfolios with platforms – such as ours at Thallo!
There are no doubt many more reports and resources that I’ve missed. But hopefully, these will give you something to support your strategic conversations going forward.
If there is anything you want to have clarified, or if you are missing something, please get in touch.
