Ely Sandler argues that COP27 progress on the Paris Agreement's Article 6 may be a smoking gun for the death of voluntary carbon markets - but suggests a better model that might take its place.

Ely Sandler and Daniel Schrag propose a new approach to Article 6 of the Paris agreement, arguing that states must use cross-border investment to finance the energy transition. By linking additionality to an investment’s impact on cost of capital, Sandler and Schrag demonstrate how Article 6 can leverage blended finance to de-risk private investment, creating a new model of public private partnership. The paper uses case studies from the Middle East and North Africa region to demonstrate the potential economic, environmental and political benefits of cooperation on Article 6.  

Despite Israeli occupation and systemic governance challenges, the Palestinian economy faces a unique opportunity to build a thriving technology ecosystem. The current model of global philanthropy-driven tech development in the West Bank, however, is not working. Without a reboot, no progress is likely to be made. As early as 2012, a Cisco report proclaimed that, “Palestine is on the brink of becoming the next high tech global hotspot.” A decade later, this ambitious pronouncement remains unfulfilled. This paper outlines how international actors such as the US State Department can lead an effort, together with other key governmental and international institutions, to accelerate growth in the Palestinian tech sector. Long-term, the proposed model is intended not only to serve the Palestinian economy, but also to strengthen civil society, build state capacity, and facilitate regional collaboration.