A reminder of the tricky issues of agreement on global carbon market rules in the context of ratcheting up climate ambition Raising ambition is the primordial task for governments ahead of and at the next UN climate conference. But it will also be essential to finally agree on the rules that will govern global carbon…
Relying on paying someone else to reduce emissions is risky and unsustainable. Therefore, private companies should stop “offsetting” and instead financially help poorer countries reach their climate targets and foster sustainable development. Voluntary carbon markets are booming as businesses across the world make climate-neutrality pledges. These plans often rely on the purchase of credits from…
We joined the World Press Clubs Alliance for Climate launch event on Friday 23 October. Watch the interview with Sabine Frank here. Companies and governments are announcing “climate-neutrality” targets, and consumers are being offered ways to offset their carbon footprint. What does this mean in practice? How can we distinguish between real climate action and…
Companies are increasingly adopting “climate-neutrality” targets, which often include relying on forests to compensate for pollution. After yet another such offset project was swallowed by flames in California, unresolved questions about forest and land offsets resurface. It’s a simple tagline for green marketing campaigns: “Enjoy our product, it’s climate neutral”. While the tagline is simple,…
The annual carbon market survey by the financial market data analyst Refinitiv shows high confidence in the European Green Deal in strengthening the EU carbon market. First, the 80 respondents that answered to the questions about EU policies, see the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) as the most important tool for reducing greenhouse gas…
This opinion article was first published in Carbon Pulse on March 30, 2020 As part of the work to establish an international carbon market for aviation, CORSIA, a group of experts recently recommended restrictions for the types of carbon offsets that can and cannot be used by airlines. These restrictions were adopted by the UN aviation…
The failure to agree on rules for international carbon markets at COP 25 has been a victory for some and a disaster for others. Looking at it pragmatically, it was very much a “disaster averted” outcome since the rules on the table would have legitimised the use of markets riddled with loopholes. Far from ideal,…
The article was first published in Carbon Markets at COP25 blog on 13th December 2019 Offsetting means that you compensate for your carbon footprint by financing a climate project that supposedly reduces the same amount of pollution that you produce. At first glance, that doesn’t sound so bad. But we are in the middle of…
The article was first published on Carbon Markets at COP25 blog on 12th December 2019 There is a lot at stake in the UN climate conference in Madrid. If countries agree on bad rules for the future global carbon markets, the world will lock in a system that does nothing to reduce emissions – in…
The article was first published on Carbon Markets at COP25 blog on 8th December 2019 50 km southeast of Santiago, in the Cajon del Maipo region, the Alto Maipo Hydropower Project has become one of the biggest environmental struggles in Chile’s history. The project – due to be completed by 2020 – threatens the water…
Kaisa Amaral, Communications Director
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