Lacklustre COP27 fails to bring clarity to carbon markets

The Sharm el-Sheikh climate conference’s final deal on Article 6 opens the door to secret carbon market deals between countries with little oversight. On a positive note, a new type of carbon credit could help spell the end of offsetting, but the agreement falls far short of what is needed.

Scoping voluntary corporate climate action in the European aviation sector

The beyond value chain mitigation (BCVM) approaches for eight European airlines, which were collectively responsible for over half of the total CO2e emissions of the aviation sector in the EU in 2019, were assessed in this study to provide insights with regards to both the extent and quality of efforts, beyond the value chain, to …

Carbon removals are no substitute for deep emissions reductions, warns IPCC

Carbon removals will become a vital tool for reducing carbon concentrations in the atmosphere but only massive cuts in emissions will give humanity a fighting chance of keeping global heating to 1.5°C or below, says the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The latest IPCC report, which was released in April, outlines various pathways …

Carbon Market Watch response to UK Climate Change Committee’s consultation: “Carbon Offsets call for evidence”

The UK Climate Change Committee recently issued a public consultation on the subject of “Carbon Offsets call for evidence”, which closed on 28 February 2022. The consultation covered the main risks and opportunities presented by voluntary carbon offsets, the quality and duration of offsets, voluntary offset market regulation and standards, Harnessing Financial Flows, and more.

Carbon Market Watch response to consultation: “Draft Consensus Statement on High Quality Tropical Forest Carbon Credits”

A “Draft Consensus Statement on High Quality Tropical Forest Carbon Credits” was recently developed by eight organisations: Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (COICA), Conservation International, Environmental Defense Fund, Amazonian Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), the Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, World Resources Institute, and World Wildlife Fund US. Once finalised, the document …

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, …

Net-zero pipe dreams: Carbon-neutral fossil fuel claims amount to greenwashing

A new Carbon Market Watch report thoroughly investigates the growing number of fossil fuels that are being marketed as “carbon neutral” and concludes that they amount to brazen greenwashing. Published ahead of the COP26, the document challenges governments and industry to halt greenwashing practices and commit to binding fossil fuel phaseouts. Today, Carbon Market Watch …