The Clean Cooking & Climate Consortium (4C) is developing a new methodology for crediting emissions reductions from cooking projects, with the goal of strengthening carbon markets. Representatives from organizations including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Gold Standard, and Verra, among others, gathered in Washington, DC, to refine and strengthen the methodology based on expert feedback. The new methodology aims to drive integrity, credibility, and trust in the cooking and carbon markets and attract more funding to the sector. It addresses the negative impacts of cooking with solid fuels, such as climate change, air pollution, land degradation, health issues, gender disparities, and livelihood challenges. Funding from carbon markets has been crucial for expanding the use of clean fuels and cleaner biomass stoves that mitigate these impacts.
4C has been working on developing this methodology and seeking feedback through various meetings and convenings. The ultimate goal is for the new methodology to become the standard for cooking projects under the Paris Agreement and in the voluntary carbon market. Attendees of the workshop expressed strong support for 4C’s approach, which includes realistic default values, incentives for direct measurement, standardized baselines, and a common data platform. These measures aim to increase accuracy and decrease logistical and financial burdens for project developers. Harmonization in methodological approaches and uniformity in crediting emissions reductions from cooking projects were highlighted as beneficial for the entire ecosystem. The workshop also discussed updates to default values for fraction of the non-renewable biomass (fNRB), which will be replaced with more localized values.
Moving forward, 4C will continue to develop the methodology’s module components and seek further feedback at the Africa Climate Week in Nairobi. The consortium intends to solicit input from key stakeholders to ensure the methodology’s effectiveness and alignment with the latest scientific knowledge. The development of this new methodology is a significant milestone for the clean cooking ecosystem, and it is expected to improve the lives of people worldwide while attracting more funding to the sector.
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