RBI advocates the use of ITMOs

In a letter to the Dutch Government dated November 5, 2024, RBI once again urged consideration of bridging the gap between National climate ambitions and actual achievements through the purchase of ITMOs from non-European countries. Particularly tropical forest nations like Suriname, which is already offering ITMOs for sale. While these purchases would not count as formal compensation within The Netherlands’ NDC, they could be politically leveraged to showcase the country’s commitment to maintaining global climate ambitions.

A key benefit of this approach is the positive signal it sends to the voluntary carbon market, supporting companies that voluntarily strive for greater sustainability. The strategy could achieve even greater impact if coupled with initiating a discussion at the EU level on using ITMOs to meet 2050 climate targets in a way that aligns with global climate justice principles.