The Zurich Carbon Market Association is happy to invite you to a workshop on “Durban outcome – prospects for the carbon markets in 2012” on Tuesday, 10 January 2012, 5-7 p.m., in room HG D 32, ETH main building, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.

Programme:

• Axel Michaelowa (Perspectives): Institutions saved, but where is the substance?
• Tuomas Rautanen (First Climate): Durban – European show breaking a China taboo!
• Joelle de Sépibus (University of Berne): Outlook for new mechanisms
• Laurence Mortier (Swiss Federal Office of the Environment): New market mechanism: achievements in Durban and next steps in 2012
• Patrick Hofstetter (WWF Switzerland): NGO perspectives on Durban
• Carsten Schirmeisen (Holcim): Working the global CO2 legislation patchwork – a global operators’ perspective
• Henrique Schneider (Swiss Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises): SME perspectives on Durban
• Jeff Swartz (International Emissions Trading Association): IETA’s work programme on new market mechanism and NAMAs

After the workshop we encourage you to join in for some discussions over drinks at the “Crazy Cow”.

The workshop will be open to non-members of the Zurich Carbon Market Association against a fee of 50 Swiss Franks (students free). Please register with Sven Widdel (sven.widdel(at)zurich-cma.org);  fees are payable to the Zurich Carbon Market Association bank account at Swiss Postfinance, account 85-570886-8 (IBAN CH140900 0000 8557 0886 8, BIC POFICHBEXXX).

For further information on the Zurich Carbon Market Association see www.zurich-cma.org

We look forward to seeing you there!

Around 60 professionals and students, representing a wide range of organizations including carbon credit developers, NGOs, investors and researchers, participated in the “Workshop on Voluntary Carbon Markets” organized by the  Zurich CMA on 31 August 2011. Held in the facilities of PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Zürich, the event was moderated by Tanja Havemann. Five speakers presented their topics on complementary subjects concerning the Voluntary Carbon Markets:

• Renat Heuberger of South Pole started the session by providing a comprehensive introduction to the topic of the workshop: the Voluntary Carbon Markets, describing the main players and the reasons why companies invest in voluntary carbon projects.

• Anja Kollmuss, previously with the Stockholm Environment Institute, and now with CDM Watch presented the Carbon Offset Research & Education (CORE) website  (www.co2offsetresearch.org) containing a wealth of information regarding the carbon markets.

• Tobias Caluori of PwC spoke about the “Buyers view of the Voluntary Carbon Market”, elaborating on research conducted by PwC illustrating the difference between buyers preferences and sellers perspectives of buyers preferences.

• Forestry carbon expert, Hubertus Schmidtke from SilvaConsult, presented his views on why voluntary carbon markets are important for forests, emphasizing their additional social and environmental benefits.

• Franciska Heidenreich of MyClimate then put a focus on the potential social and environmental benefits (frequently referred to as “co-benefits”) of voluntary carbon credit project. She provided good examples of such projects by describing a specific efficient cookstove project.  The issue of co-benefits resulted in a vivid discussion about the determinants of a successful investment: region, type and scale of the project – as well as the issue of local engagement and the emphasis on “co-benefits” vs. carbon credits.

• Adrian Rimmer from the Gold Standard Foundation concluded the event by presenting his views on trends and future developments of the voluntary carbon market.

After the event, participants gathered for discussions and drinks.

All presentations of the workshop are available here.