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Deep diving into Buffer pools

  • Ana Karla Nobre Dias
    Head of Data Analytics
  • Dr Kirti Ramesh
    Senior Director, Ratings Innovation
  • Amnique Sidhu
    Data Analyst
  • Katelyn Gwin
    Carbon Ratings Scientist
Risk buffers are designed to mitigate the risk of reversals in carbon projects. However, in our view, they fall short of providing adequate system-wide insurance of the risks posed. We highlight three key factors where more work is required to provide broader insurance products to help scale the market.

Here are some key takeaways from the report

  • Project-specific risk assessments vary considerably across registries, meaning buffer pool contributions may not always match the risk profile of the project.

  • How the risk buffer is practically used in the case of reversals varies across registries and is not always clear from public disclosures.

  • Market participants need more sophisticated tools that better model risks and match the payouts to the losses in case of any reversal events.

Contents

  • Introducing risk buffers

  • Part 1 - Risk buffer contributions

  • Part 2 - Risk buffer mechanics

  • Part 3 - Risk buffer and ratings

  • Conclusion

  • References

  • Sources

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