SINGAPORE, LONDON, WASHINGTON D.C., 8 May 2025 – GenZero today issued a Call to Action urging governments and regulators to strengthen oversight of carbon markets in ways that reinforce climate ambition, support the use of high-integrity credits, and unlock greater private sector investment.
Frederick Teo, CEO at GenZero, said: “Now more than ever, we must work together to build transparent, trusted, and effective carbon markets that drive real-world decarbonisation. This Call to Action reflects our shared belief that well-regulated voluntary markets can scale innovation, mobilise capital, and accelerate global climate progress.”
This Call to Action follows a closed-door regulatory roundtable jointly convened by GenZero, the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI), and the World Bank, on the sidelines of the GenZero Climate Summit 2025 in Singapore.
It urges policymakers to accelerate the development of guidance, enabling policy, and regulation for high-integrity carbon markets, highlighting five key priorities. These include recognising the vital role of voluntary corporate climate action in supporting national targets alongside Article 6 mechanisms, and the need to equally prioritise both emissions reductions and removals. The statement stresses that effective climate solutions require a mix of technology and nature-based approaches, underpinned by strong monitoring and accountability frameworks.
Policymakers are also encouraged to strengthen government leadership through tools like public procurement and support for early-stage projects, ensuring alignment with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and inclusive development goals. Finally, the Call to Action underscores the importance of market transparency, credible climate claims, and robust governance to build trust and scale financing for meaningful climate impact.
Amy Merrill, CEO, at ICVCM, said: “Policymakers can play a crucial role in creating enabling environments for thriving high integrity carbon markets that channel scaled private finance to climate solutions that would not otherwise be viable. That includes recognising the importance of all types of high-integrity activities – including those that restore and protect nature or deploy new technologies, to reduce or remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.”
Mark Kenber, Executive Director, at VCMI added: “As a complement to decarbonisation, carbon markets can deliver additional finance for climate action at speed and scale. By working together, policymakers and non-state actors can unlock demand for high quality carbon credits and deliver real impact for climate, people, and nature.”
This joint Call to Action represents a unified commitment to shaping carbon markets that deliver real, verifiable, and equitable climate benefits. GenZero, ICVCM, VCMI and the World Bank stand ready to support policymakers in developing robust, inclusive, and future-fit regulatory frameworks.
Early supporters for the Call to Action include: ACR, ACT Commodities, ART Trees,
BeZero, Calyx Global, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), Climate Impact X, Conservation International, Environmental Defense Fund, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Gold Standard, Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), IETA, South Pole, Sylvera, National Climate Solutions Alliance, SustainCERT, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Value Network Ventures, Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI), Verra, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and The World Bank.
