Carbon removals are no magic climate or development bullet
The UN-backed ‘Carbon Removal Pioneers’ stoke the development dreams of African countries but crash against the reality of climate science.
New UN global carbon market must involve civil society to serve the climate and local communities
The new body tasked with designing and supervising the global carbon market under the Paris Agreement must put in place environmental safeguards and protect the interests of local and indigenous communities. At the end of July, the UN body in charge of overseeing the new global carbon market agreed at last year’s COP26 Glasgow, under …
July newsletter editorial: Keeping hope alive for 1.5
The EU’s recent failure to rise to the unprecedented challenge presented by the climate emergency should not lead us down the path to cynicism but must prod us to redouble our efforts to bring about meaningful change, writes Sabine Frank. “So, how do you know Y (the host)?” I asked at a recent party. “We …
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UN carbon market negotiations in Bonn must pave way to effective COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh
Negotiators must prioritise human rights, transparency and environmental integrity as they hammer out the framework for carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. The intersession of the UN climate change conference, where Carbon Market Watch will be present throughout, kicked off in Bonn, today, Monday 6 June, and will last through Thursday 16 …
FIFA World Cup in Qatar scores own goal with misleading carbon neutrality claim, new report
The FIFA World Cup in Qatar advertises itself as the first carbon-neutral tournament of its kind. Our latest research casts serious doubt on this claim, suggesting that this goal will be achieved through creative accounting rather than actually reaching a carbon footprint of (net) zero. Host country Qatar and football’s governing body FIFA are touting …
Greenwashing exposes climate of corporate inaction
Instead of cleaning up their businesses and business models to tackle climate change, top corporations are engaging in cosmetic change and greenwashing to improve their image. Why is this? Climate action is in the air. Like governments around the world, major corporations are falling over themselves to issue climate pledges and, in keeping with being …
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November editorial: A bad deal or no deal at COP26?
Dear friends, ‘No deal is better than a bad deal’ is the message which underpinned our advocacy for integrity in international carbon markets during the six years since the Paris Agreement brought fresh hope for change. The sheer weight of self-repetition over such a long time could lead one to chalk up the compromise deal …
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October editorial: COP26 and the rise of the climate inactivists
We fight the climate wars no longer only against denialists but also against what climate scientist Michael Mann calls “inactivists”, writes Sabine Frank. I don’t know at which UN climate conference this trend began, but at COP15 in Copenhagen, the shift was certainly not yet apparent. The recent BBC ‘conspiracy thriller’ The Trick is a …
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Net-zero illusions: The rise of ‘carbon-neutral’ fossil fuels
Like dry water and hot snow, carbon-neutral fossil fuels are pipe dreams and marketing gimmicks that do nothing to protect the climate, a new Carbon Market Watch investigation reveals. Jonathan Crook investigates. In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new greenwashing trend spreading like wildfire. It consists of oil and gas giants, like Shell, Total, …
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How to get ‘Fit for 55’ in shape for the climate emergency
Some EU governments believe the ‘Fit for 55’ package is too ambitious but, in reality, it is not ambitious enough. More action is needed today because tomorrow will be too late to avoid catastrophic global warming, write Agnese Ruggiero and Andrew Marshall. This week, European environment ministers met in Luxembourg to discuss the draft ‘Fit …
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