When creating the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the Kyoto Protocol described three main aims: meeting greenhouse gas reduction targets, sustainable development, and providing emissions cuts for the lowest cost. This study argues that these three aims represent powerful discourses, justifying the European Union’s continued reliance on offset credits from the CDM. Furthermore, when advising policy-makers, NGOs may find it difficult to overtly oppose offsetting due to the power of these ideas. However, it also argues that these three discourses may provide some opportunities for NGOs to form new narratives, highlighting some of the contradictions inherent in offsetting.
Commission waters down flagship climate policy to appease big polluters
17/07/2026
Launched during a summer of fossil-fuelled climate breakdown marked by heatwaves and wildfires, the European Commission’s carbon market revision backtracks on climate action. The new proposal actively weakens the effectiveness of Europe’s flagship climate policy, and risks undermining the achievement of the EU’s 2040 and 2050 climate targets.
