Energy & Climate

Sophia Lauer

Researcher

Special Expertise

International carbon markets
Climate finance

Career

Since 2023 | Researcher, Oeko-Institut, Germany
2022-2023 | Analyst, Copenhagen Economics, Denmark

Professional training

2019-2022 | Master of Science, Economics, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
2015-2019 | Bachelor of Science, Economics, University of Bonn, Germany

Language Skills

German – Native speaker
English – Full professional proficiency

Contact

Sophia Lauer

Energy & Climate
Researcher
Berlin
+49 30 405085-348
E-Mail

Energy & Climate

Preparation of the EU first Biennial Transparency Report under the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC

01/30/2024

The project team supports the European Commission in the preparation of the first Biennial Transparency Report of the European Union, which is to be submitted under the Paris Agreement. The report summarises the European Union’s current and projected greenhouse gas emissions, its mitigation polic
Energy & Climate

ACHIEVE – Achieving High-Integrity Voluntary Climate Action

01/01/2024

The EU Horizon Project ACHIEVE (Achieving high-integrity voluntary climate action) addresses knowledge gaps and practical challenges to enable voluntary climate action to effectively and sustainably contribute to closing the climate mitigation gap. The project develops a comprehensive set
Carbon pricing

Study on existing initiatives to inform potential climate-related delegated act(s) under the Green Claims Directive

12/07/2023

Oeko-Institut is supporting the European Commission in analysising areas of the voluntary carbon market that may be addressed in delegated acts under the Green Claims Directive. Towards this end, Oeko-Institut evaluates existing initiatives that address integrity in the voluntary carbon markets and
Carbon pricing

Update of the gap analysis of environmental and social safeguards of carbon crediting programs in the voluntary carbon market

11/01/2023

This study examines the conformity of carbon crediting programs on the voluntary carbon market with selected environmental and social standards. The study constitutes an update of the gap analysis conducted in 2020. The carbon crediting programs reviewed in the previous analysis are to be reviewed
Carbon pricing

Carbon Credit Quality Initiative (CCQI) – Expansion of assessments in 2023

02/15/2023

Founded by Environmental Defense Fund, Oeko-Institut and World Wildlife Fund (WWF-US), the Carbon Credit Quality Initiative (CCQI) provides transparent information on the quality of carbon credits. Under this assignment, the CCQI assessments are amended by applying the methodology to several more
Biodiversity

Climate protection measures in coastal regions and waters - accounting, crediting and financing of blue carbon measures

11/30/2022

The research project pursues the following objectives: - Analysing the current role of blue carbon in the global climate architecture (negotiations and NDCs), - Analysing opportunities and risks of different financing instruments for blue carbon measures, especially market-based approaches, - Analy

Issues at stake in view of the COP29 UN Climate Change Conference in Baku-Scaling up climate action and support

October 2024

This study provides an overview of the status of international climate negotiations and issues at stake at the COP29 climate change conference. It also addresses the current implementation of the Paris Agreement, the climate policies of key Parties and the stakeholders in the negotiations. The COP29

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Carbon Mechanisms Review; Volume 12; Number 2; Pages 58-65

Escaping the market for lemons - Ensuring quality carbon credits that incentivize climate action

August 2024

Carbon crediting continues to be a popular policy instrument in the international community’s response to global warming. Public and private actors alike count on carbon credits to incentivize accelerated climate action as well as for complying with voluntary and mandatory climate targets. At the

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Factsheet CCQI Commercial Afforestation

February 2024

Commercial afforestation projects have higher additionality risks than projects establishing natural forests as they do not solely rely on carbon credit revenues but also gain revenues from harvesting. In addition, some carbon crediting programs do not require checking for new legal requirements

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Factsheet CCQI Improved Forest Management

February 2024

IFM serves as an umbrella term for a broad array of forest management practices aiming at increasing or maintaining forest carbon stocks. IFM projects often combine several activities or management practices and sometimes change them over time. This broad spectrum of activities will be presented an

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© plainpicture / Anke Doerschlen

The EU Carbon Certification Removal Framework and its methodologies must be improved to deliver on their goals

Blog 12/12/2024

In October 2024, the European Commission presented draft methodologies for the European Union’s Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF). These methodologies set out requirements for the certification of carbon removals and soil emission reductions from various mitigation activities.
© Oeko-Institut

The ICVCM approval of three REDD methodologies presents risks to the integrity of the initiative

Blog 12/10/2024

In November 2024, the Governing Board of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) approved three methodologies for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD). The methodologies are now eligible for issuing “high integrity” carbon credits under the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) label of the ICVCM. We are concerned with this decision. While the methodologies have been improved compared to previous versions, in our assessment they do not meet the requirements of the ICVCM Assessment Framework. Here we explain why.

Sophia Lauer

Contact

Recent projects

Preparation of the EU first Biennial Transparency Report under the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC

ACHIEVE – Achieving High-Integrity Voluntary Climate Action

Study on existing initiatives to inform potential climate-related delegated act(s) under the Green Claims Directive

Update of the gap analysis of environmental and social safeguards of carbon crediting programs in the voluntary carbon market

Carbon Credit Quality Initiative (CCQI) – Expansion of assessments in 2023

Climate protection measures in coastal regions and waters - accounting, crediting and financing of blue carbon measures

Recent publications

Read more

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Contact

Recent projects

Preparation of the EU first Biennial Transparency Report under the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC

ACHIEVE – Achieving High-Integrity Voluntary Climate Action

Study on existing initiatives to inform potential climate-related delegated act(s) under the Green Claims Directive

Update of the gap analysis of environmental and social safeguards of carbon crediting programs in the voluntary carbon market

Carbon Credit Quality Initiative (CCQI) – Expansion of assessments in 2023

Climate protection measures in coastal regions and waters - accounting, crediting and financing of blue carbon measures

Recent publications

Issues at stake in view of the COP29 UN Climate Change Conference in Baku-Scaling up climate action and support

Escaping the market for lemons - Ensuring quality carbon credits that incentivize climate action

Factsheet CCQI Commercial Afforestation

Factsheet CCQI Improved Forest Management

Read more

The EU Carbon Certification Removal Framework and its methodologies must be improved to deliver on their goals

The ICVCM approval of three REDD methodologies presents risks to the integrity of the initiative