The target of the post-Kyoto phase is to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union by at least 20 % by 2020. In Germany, the objective is to decrease the GHG emissions by 40 % by 2020. The public sector in Europe contributes to the annual national GHG emissions with 10 %. In Germany and other countries the prevailing strategies are prevention or mitigation to reduce GHG emissions in the public sector. Within the framework of this study, UNIQUE analyzed the public sector demand for forest carbon credits on the voluntary carbon market in Germany and other selected European countries.

• Evaluation of the public sector demand for carbon credits from the voluntary carbon market.
• Analysis of the strategies of public institutions for voluntary compensation of GHG.
• Estimation of the demand for carbon credits.
• Recommendations for the development of the voluntary market for carbon credits from forest projects.