Article 6 of the Paris Agreement contains multiple cooperation routes. Article 6.2 and Article 6.4 both support internationally recognised mitigation, but they use different governance structures.
Article 6.2: country-led cooperation
Article 6.2 allows participating countries to establish bilateral or multilateral arrangements. They decide how activities are approved, which methodologies are accepted and how outcomes are tracked, provided they meet the Paris Agreement reporting and accounting requirements.
Transferred outcomes are called ITMOs. Host-country authorisation and corresponding adjustments are central to the system.
Article 6.4: a UN-supervised mechanism
Article 6.4 establishes a central mechanism supervised through the UNFCCC. It includes a common registration process, approved methodologies, accredited validation and verification bodies and a mechanism registry. For a worked example, see the adopted Article 6.4 renewable-electricity methodology for qualifying greenfield power plants.
Units generated under the mechanism can have different authorisation and use pathways. The framework also includes mandatory contributions to adaptation and overall mitigation in global emissions.
Practical differences for projects
Article 6.2 can be flexible and tailored to the cooperation between countries, but the developer must navigate national procedures and acquiring-country requirements. Article 6.4 offers a more centralised rulebook, but projects are subject to the mechanism's evolving methodologies and procedures.
The right pathway depends on host-country strategy, buyer use, activity type, timeline and whether a bilateral programme already exists.
What buyers should ask
For either route, buyers should confirm the exact authorisation status, intended use, corresponding adjustment treatment, registry path and safeguards. A project using an approved methodology is not automatically authorised for every international use.
Sentinel Earth develops sovereign cooperation activities through its Article 6 services, including the Föhn programme in Morocco.
