Article 6 of the Paris Agreement allows countries to cooperate in meeting climate targets. It is designed to lower the cost of mitigation, mobilise finance and support higher ambition while preventing the same outcome from being counted twice.
Article 6.2
Article 6.2 provides an accounting framework for country-led cooperation. Countries can transfer mitigation outcomes through bilateral or multilateral arrangements. These outcomes become ITMOs when authorised and transferred for an approved use.
Robust reporting and corresponding adjustments protect against double counting between national targets.
Article 6.4
Article 6.4 establishes a UN-supervised crediting mechanism with central methodologies, registration, validation, verification and issuance procedures. It is the successor to earlier international mechanisms but operates under the Paris Agreement's universal NDC structure.
The mechanism includes contributions to adaptation and a cancellation share intended to deliver overall mitigation in global emissions.
Article 6.8
Article 6.8 covers non-market cooperation. It can support policy coordination, technology transfer, capacity building and other approaches that do not involve trading mitigation units.
Why Article 6 is different from the voluntary market
Voluntary standards can quantify and issue credits without a corresponding adjustment. Article 6 adds government authorisation and national accounting. This can create a stronger sovereign layer, but it also introduces administrative and policy risk.
Project developers need to align methodology, host-country priorities, sustainable development, validation, registry systems and buyer use from the beginning.
The buyer perspective
Buyers should verify the precise status of the cooperation agreement, project approval, authorisation, intended use and first transfer. Terms such as "Article 6 aligned" should not be treated as equivalent to an authorised ITMO.
Learn more about Sentinel Earth's Article 6 project development and Föhn, our refrigerant abatement programme in Morocco.
