For the last six years, ECO diligently followed and engaged in the development of the Article 6 rules leading up to their adoption in Glasgow. So imagine our surprise when, in the first post-adoption negotiation session, we heard Parties already trying to bypass said rules. It’s been a long and winding road to determine what an Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcome (ITMO) is, what will qualify as an ITMO, and what the review process will be, but not everything can be an ITMO. Going through a review and qualifying as one thing (say under the REDD+ framework) does not mean you automatically qualify under another review process (for example under Article 6.2). Getting a license to drive a car doesn’t mean you qualify to pilot a plane.
If you want to be an ITMO, you have to undergo an Article 6.2 review, full stop, no exemptions. This isn’t a double review, this isn’t an unfair burden, it’s common sense. Because rules are rules. Period.