Implementation of National Voluntary Carbon Footprint Programmes (NVCFPs)

Actions to slow the advance of climate change have entered a critical decade of action, with targets to stay below 1.5°C already pushing for stable carbon neutrality by 2050. In this context, mitigation and neutralization of greenhouse gas (GHG) sources across broad sectors of society is a priority. This voluntary and broad approach calls for a national platform that allows the genuine and voluntary contribution of as large and diverse a number of GHG-emitting activities as possible. These voluntary carbon footprint platforms, associated with national mitigation efforts, make it possible to quantify, record and thus aggregate the GHGs reduced or neutralized by the different actors who adhere to the carbon footprint platforms.

Numerous actors -public and private- have worked on the design of standards and methodologies for carbon footprint measurement, as well as on the design and implementation of mandatory and voluntary programmes for the quantification of GHG emissions and reductions/removals. In particular, in Latin America, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has supported, for more than a decade, the implementation of National Voluntary Carbon Footprint Programme initiatives (NVCFPs) starting with Chile and Peru, and more recently in Panama and Ecuador.

Based on the experiences of these four countries, UNDP consolidated these experiences for the benefit of future initiatives in the region or beyond, through the elaboration of the “Guide for the Implementation of National Voluntary Carbon Footprint Programmes in Latin America.” This pioneering guide describes the technical and administrative parameters that characterize these platforms, providing governments that are new to this process with a detailed roadmap for the implementation of similar models tailored to their particular needs.

Taking and adapting the information systematized in this guide developed in 2022, this online course has been developed with the purpose of easing the learning process. For detailed reading and references we recommend accompanying the online course with the reading of the guide.

Aware of the challenge of implementing the Paris Agreement agenda with respect to the 2030 goals, and with the subsequent need to consolidate carbon neutrality goals by 2050, we require a massive effort in which the participation of the private sector is essential. This course will help government officials (decision makers and technicians) prepare for the challenge of implementing a voluntary carbon footprint measurement scheme in their countries. It will also help private sector actors understand how climate action can contribute to business development. In addition, the general public will have access to the course which will familiarize them with the theoretical foundations of carbon footprint measurement.