First Article 6.4 Carbon Credits Issued for Myanmar Cookstoves
Why in the news
The first credits of the UN’s new Paris Agreement carbon market have been issued, for a household-stove project in Myanmar. Critics point to the military junta’s control of Myanmar’s environment ministry.
Key facts
- Mechanism: Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, governed by the UN’s Article 6.4 Supervisory Body (Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism).
- Project: clean-cooking stoves replacing traditional wood-fired ones; host is Myanmar.
- Partner: Republic of Korea, which plans to count a share of the credits towards its ETS obligations.
- The remainder supports Myanmar’s NDC targets.
How the project works
- Efficient stoves replace old wood-fired ones, cutting fuel use.
- Less firewood means less indoor air pollution and less deforestation.
- The UN verifies avoided emissions against updated scientific baselines and issues fewer credits to protect integrity.
- Part of the credits move to South Korea; the rest count towards Myanmar’s NDC.
Carbon credit
A tradeable certificate for one metric tonne of CO2 (or equivalent gas, CO2e) that has been verifiably reduced, avoided or removed.
Article 6 of the Paris Agreement
| Clause | Content |
|---|---|
| 6.2 | Cooperation between countries through Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) |
| 6.4 | Centralised, UN-supervised mechanism (PACM or SDM) that replaces Kyoto’s CDM |
| 6.8 | Non-market cooperation without credit trading |
CDM versus Article 6.4
- CDM (Kyoto Protocol, 1997) let developed countries earn credits by funding projects in developing ones; worries included integrity, additionality, double counting and weak verification.
- Article 6.4 brings tougher additionality and verification norms, no double counting through Corresponding Adjustments, conservative baselines, and public consultation and appeal routes.
Exam angle
- Host country: Myanmar; partner: South Korea.
- Article 6.2 = ITMOs; Article 6.4 = PACM; Article 6.8 = non-market.
- One credit = 1 tonne CO2e.