Training Course on Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement

Understanding the Paris Rulebook on the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism

2 Day Training Course

Understanding the most recent rules, standards and procedures, including those adopted at recent COPS and how they impact the global carbon trading markets

Why now?

There have been significant steps forward for the international carbon trading markets up to and including COP30 in Belém. A key outcome of COPs has been approving the rules and procedures for Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, providing much-needed clarity on the centralised framework for trading carbon emissions. Article 6.4 aims to ensure confidence in market tools and incentives to support global efforts to decarbonise and to support ambition.

However, the rules continue to need to be understood, aligned to existing national and international laws and put into practice by countries, businesses and negotiators.

Durham University has observer status for the yearly COPs and, in conjunction with research expertise, we are offering a two-day training course that will explain the governance, rules, participation requirements and the forms that must be filled in to register an Article 6.4 activity. This course will be of interest to practitioners, government agencies, and businesses that are interested in generating emission reductions under Article 6.4 activities. This can also include those who are interested in transferring Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) credits into the Crediting Mechanism.

Objectives

• Understand the standards, rules and procedures of Article 6.4 and the implications for new and existing activities.
• Evaluate the opportunities of Article 6.4 for private investment in carbon credits that are real, verified, additional and permanent.
• Analyse the methodological approaches and standards from a legal and a scientific perspective.
• Understand corresponding adjustments.
• Examine the Sustainable Development Tool.
• Understand additionality and permanence.
• Determine the participation and reporting requirements.
• Evaluate the risks and opportunities of projects.
• Consider the future evolution of Article 6 and risk scenarios if rules are revised

Who should attend

Government officials, businesses and negotiators required to understand the carbon trading markets from a legal compliance and operational perspective.

Timeline of the course

The course is delivered across two days, online, via MS Teams. There will be close interaction with the experts teaching on the course, with dedicated learning and Q&A sessions. Relevant reading materials will be provided. A Durham University Certificate of Attendance will be awarded at the end of the course for full participation in activity.

Why take this course with Durham University's Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Policy?

The Centre is based in Durham University’s Law School but operates at Faculty level, drawing members from across the University, including Arts and Humanities, Science, and Durham Business School. The Law School is internationally recognised for excellence in legal education and research, ranked 49th globally in the latest QS subject rankings. In the 2021 REF, 100% of its research impact was rated 3* or 4*, reflecting a strong contribution to shaping national and international policy, as well as supporting legal practitioners and businesses in understanding the implications of the law. It is also ranked among the top 50 law schools worldwide in the QS World University Rankings by Subject (2026).

The CSDLP has a distinctly interdisciplinary focus, exemplified by its flagship project, JusTN0W – Just Transitions to a Net Zero World, which brings together expertise in Law, Computer Science, Biosciences, and Economics. Through this collaboration, the project supports external stakeholders in navigating transition pathways to net zero, integrating scientific evidence with legal, economic, and technical considerations.

Workshop Convenor 

Professor Petra Minnerop, Professor of International Law

Professor Petra Minnerop works at the intersection of law and science in the context of sustainability, climate change and environmental degradation. Her research addresses how the law can be used to effectuate change in light of scientific evidence, to address global environmental crises. She uses comparative legal analysis and interdisciplinary methods and has published widely on climate change, environmental law and policy and international law.

Petra serves as the Associate-Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability) and Chair of the UN SDG Group of the University, with responsibility for the University's reporting on Sustainability (QS) and the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (THE Impact ranking) in the academic dimension. She leads the University's engagement with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Petra is the founding Director of the Durham Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Policy (CSDLP).

Course fee:

£550 per delegate

Completion certificate: All participants who complete the course and submit an assignment receive an electronic Certificate of Attendance from Durham University, as well as the possibility of CPD points. 

To register your interest in attending this course (dates to be confirmed), please send your details to:

csdlp@durham.ac.uk