Article 6.4 — Paris Agreement Carbon Credits

Article 6.4 — Paris Agreement Carbon Credits
UNFCCC Mechanism Operationalised 2024
Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement establishes a UN-supervised carbon crediting mechanism (successor to CDM). Article 6.4 Emission Reductions (A6.4ERs) are the highest-integrity carbon credits — issued by the UNFCCC Supervisory Body, not private standard bodies.
The Shared Evidence Layer Innovation
One DTE → Two DCCs
The same UNTP Digital Traceability Event (DTE) that proves deforestation-free coffee production for EUDR also serves as the shared evidence layer for an Article 6.4 carbon credit. Two Digital Conformity Credentials are issued against the same DTE: (1) EUDR Due Diligence Statement, (2) Article 6.4 Emission Reduction certificate. This eliminates duplicate data collection and double-counting risk.
Article 6.4 Requirement
Framework Component
Additionality demonstration
Baseline deforestation rate from IDEAM raster vs. current parcel status
Permanence monitoring
Annual IoT + satellite biomass comparison against baseline DTE
Leakage assessment
Adjacent parcel monitoring — IDEAM deforestation flag propagation
Corresponding adjustment
Requires host country (Colombia) approval — CTH provides data package to IDEAM/MADS
Third-party validation
R-VAL-03: Accredited Validator DCC required (UNFCCC-approved Designated Operational Entity)
Registry issuance
A6.4ER registry (UNFCCC) — CTH provides data; registry issues the credit
⚠️ Important: Article 6.4 requires a Corresponding Adjustment from Colombia — the host country must formally authorise the credit transfer. This is a government process, not a data process. CTH facilitates by providing the MADS/IDEAM with the data package; the political decision is outside the framework.
ℹ️ The commercial case: a 1-hectare deforestation-free coffee parcel in Chocó generates approximately 8-12 tCO₂e/year in avoided deforestation. At Article 6.4 prices (~$15-40/tCO₂e), this represents $120-480/ha/year in additional farmer income on top of the EUDR compliance premium.