Carbon Academy: everything you need to know about carbon markets

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Learn everything that matters about carbon in the most fun and engaging way: with our curated Carbon Paradoxes

As the leading source in sustainability data and information, illuminem is thrilled to introduce Carbon Academy, a new illuminem series exploring the essential concepts within the world of carbon. Below you can find a list of the topics covered so far:

Section 1. Foundations of Carbon Markets

• illuminem guide to the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM): An introduction to VCM, its role, and importance in carbon reduction strategies.
  
• illuminem guide to the Compliance Carbon Market (CCM): Understanding CCM, how it differs from VCM, and its impact on regulated industries.
  

Section 2: Carbon Offsets: understanding and application

• Carbon reduction & carbon removal offsets: definition and differences: Definitions, differences, and their roles in offsetting carbon emissions.
  
• What is additionality? Examples and problems: Discussion on additionality in carbon offsets, with examples and highlighted problems.
  
• Understanding carbon offsets: between criteria and challenges: Dive into the criteria, challenges, and effectiveness of carbon offsets.
• Types of carbon credits: ex-ante, ex-post, pre-purchase: Exploring the different types of carbon credits.
• High-quality carbon offsets: a buyer's guide: A buyer's guide addressing the complexities of purchasing high-quality carbon offsets.
• Breaking down REDD+: definitions and issues: Definitions, purposes, and issues surrounding REDD+ projects.
  

Section 3: Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Technologies

• Carbon Dioxide Removal and Carbon Capture and Storage: what are the differences? : Clarifying the differences between two related concepts.
• A closer look at Carbon Dioxide Removal: main technologies, storage timescale, costs and risks: An examination of storage timescales, costs, risks, and effectiveness.
• Nature-based and tech-based carbon solutions: a classification: Advantages, and limitations of each approach
• Biochar: A buyer’s essential guide: What it is, how long it can store captured CO2, cost and market size, benefits and risks, notable companies, factors influencing its success

Section 4: Article 6 & the Paris Agreement 

• Article 6: the key concepts: An explanation of Article 6 and its impact for carbon markets
• What are Nationally Determined Contributions?: A brief examination of a key element of the Paris agreement
• What is the Global Stocktake?: A key component of the Paris Agreement in a nutshell

Section 5: Carbon policy & regulation 

• A guide to CORSIA: unlocking aviation’s green potential: How to regulate carbon emissions in the aviation sector
• Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism: basic notions: Diving into the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, the main EU policy tool aimed at tackling carbon leakage

Section 6: To go further on the topic

• The Top 10 Carbon articles everyone should read in 2024: A comprehensive overview of the main articles to read on carbon
• The Top 5 Carbon videos everyone should watch in 2024: A comprehensive overview of the videos to watch on carbon
• The Top 10 Biodiversity articles everyone should read in 2024: A comprehensive overview of the main articles to read on biodiversity
• An introduction to the biodiversity credits and market: An introduction to the benefits and challenges of biodiversity credits as a financing mechanism

These are only the very first articles in our series. Watch this space to keep updated as we produce more content

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