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The GCC Program: The first international carbon credit and sustainable development program

Dr Yousef Alhorr, founding chairman of the Global Carbon Council (GCC) speaks to Aparajita Mukherjee on the Council’s role in promoting sustainability through issuance of carbon credits to high-quality projects that have demonstrated their additionality in the reduction and removal of GHG emissions contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Dr Yousef Alhorr, founding chairman of the Global Carbon Council (GCC), says that the GCC Program has received multiple projects for the issuance of carbon credits from Gulf countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates

BL: Talk us through the Global Carbon Council and Qatar’s role in this initiative.

Dr Alhorr: The Global Carbon Council (GCC) is the first international carbon credit and sustainable development program based in the Global South. The GCC Program is contributing to a more sustainable and low-carbon future by issuing carbon credits to projects from around the world that add to sustainable development. The Program only accepts high-quality projects that have demonstrated their additionality in the reduction and removal of GHG emissions while ensuring that project construction and operations do not cause any net harm to the environment and society and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  As a result, the Program is helping to drive much-needed climate finance into projects that reduce and remove emissions.  GCC is accredited by the United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for their CORSIA scheme and by the International Carbon Reduction and Offsetting Alliance (ICROA). GCC presently issues carbon credits aimed to serve voluntary carbon markets and CORSIA, but soon, it will issue emission reductions eligible under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement that host countries will transfer as internationally transferable mitigation outcomes (ITMOs) to the buyer countries to meet the targets of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and to the private/corporate sector organizations for meeting carbon neutrality and net zero commitments. 

Having received 1,500+ projects from 45 countries spanning South and East Asia, MENA, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Caribbean region, GCC aims to issue in excess of 2 billion carbon credits in next eight years’ time to help meet the aim of a net-zero world. The carbon market initiative was established by the Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD), under Qatar’s leadership. Although originating from Qatar, GCC’s scope is global. It also plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between developed and developing nations in carbon market participation.

BL: Being a top producer and exporter of hydrocarbons, how does this initiative tie in with global long-term sustainability from the Qatari perspective?

Dr Alhorr: GCC Program is an independent carbon standard which acts primarily on project basis to issue carbon credits in any part of the world. The scope of GCC spans beyond the geography of Qatar. Over the years, the program has become one of the leading key players in the carbon markets serving voluntary as well as compliance markets. Gas exporting countries including Qatar and members of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) can benefit from the methodologies that GCC is promoting regarding the early retirements of coal plants, carbon capture and storage (CCS) or fuel switch to cleaner low embodied carbon fuels which can drive short- to medium-term decarbonization goals for countries and corporates alike. Key areas of focus for gas producing nations such as Qatar include energy efficiency, methane management, blue hydrogen and the adoption of CCS technologies. GCC brings carbon marketplace to catalyze climate action in all these areas.

BL: Which GHG projects are most critical to accelerate the Gulf region’s low-carbon growth?

Dr Alhorr: The Gulf region has significant potential for emission reduction projects due to its vast natural resources, technological capabilities, and increasing commitment to sustainability. The critical GHG mitigation projects in the GCC include Renewable Energy expansion, CCS, Blue and Green Hydrogen/Ammonia Production, Energy Efficiency in Industry, Flare Gas Reduction in Oil/Gas Industry, Green Buildings, Energy Efficient Chillers, Refrigerant Switch to non-GWP Gases, Mass Transport and Electric Vehicles, Waste and Wastewater Management, Plugging the abandoned oil wells and Greenhouses for agriculture. As per the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) report, Gulf countries could save up to 136 million tons of CO₂ annually by 2030 through renewable deployment, one of the major areas of the Gulf region’s mitigation sector. Further, with many geological storages of depleted oil reservoirs and saline aquifers, there is great potential for CCS. Accelerated growth of all these clean and green sector projects is very important for the region to achieve a low-carbon future and economic diversification.

The GCC Program has received multiple projects for carbon finance support for the Gulf countries covering Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Many of these received projects are either registered or at different stages of active evaluation.

Role of S&P and Climate Impact X in the new agreement “The strategic tri-party agreement between GCC, S&P Global Commodity Insights (SPGCI), and Climate Impact X (CIX) aims to enhance carbon market services and improve liquidity. SPGCI offers comprehensive registry services to the GCC program. The Environmental Registry platform by S&P plays a critical role in supporting the secure and transparent issuance of carbon credits (ACCs). CIX is a global carbon market solutions provider based in Singapore. CIX’s platform will provide project developers with streamlined access to global buyers and enhance the liquidity of carbon credits issued by GCC. GCC sees value in providing a secure transaction registry (provided by SPGCI) to issue credits and further integration with a robust exchange (CIX) would provide better liquidity opportunity to the sell side (or project developers).  By partnering with the two reputable solutions providers, GCC aims to scale its global impact by bringing greater transparency, certainty, and liquidity to the carbon markets.” – Dr Yousef Alhorr, founding chairman of the Global Carbon Council.

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