Carbon markets Archives

Mar 11, 2025

Comment

Will Indonesia’s new carbon market be a climate solution or a game for big players?

As palm oil and timber companies gear up to profit from carbon trading, the government must ensure transparency and a fair deal for Indigenous communities

Mar 7, 2025

Carbon markets

Most cookstove carbon credits ruled out of quality scheme in integrity push

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market has rejected widely used rulebooks for cleaner cooking, which will require projects to switch to more rigorous methods

Mar 25, 2025

Carbon markets

Carbon credit auditors suspended for failures in sham rice-farming offsets

Verra has taken unprecedented action against four certification bodies that overlooked integrity problems with the projects. But the worthless credits still need to be compensated

Jan 31, 2025

Carbon markets

Shell dodges paying compensation for sham carbon credits in China

The energy giant exited the failed projects after Verra asked for redress, but a legal expert says Shell should be held responsible

Dec 19, 2024

Investigations

How Shell greenwashed gas with sham Chinese carbon credits

Exclusive: Shell used rice-farming offsets for “carbon neutral” LNG campaign – but farmers and local authorities said no project activities took place

Dec 13, 2024

Carbon markets

Experts quit carbon market watchdog in row over quality label for forest credits

Two ICVCM expert advisors have resigned from their positions over what they called a “problematic precedent” set with the REDD+ decision

Nov 18, 2024

Comment

New UN carbon market standards are a step change in protecting people and planet

Rules finalised at COP29 will make sure carbon credits enable more ambitious climate goals while delivering benefits to local communities

Nov 9, 2022

Finance

John Kerry’s offsets plan sets early test for UN net zero standards

The US special envoy wants to use carbon credits to speed up the clean energy transition – but experts are sceptical the scheme can meet best practice.

Aug 19, 2022

Carbon markets

World Bank backs carbon credit blockchain registry to attract crypto investors

The World Bank wants to direct the NFT craze towards projects that cut emissions and improve the transparency of carbon offset markets

Aug 8, 2022

Carbon markets

Chinese companies seek global carbon market for green hydrogen

A project that supplied green hydrogen for buses at the Winter Olympics could be the first of its kind to sell carbon credits through the Clean Development Mechanism

Jul 27, 2022

Carbon markets

Make polluters pay for climate adaptation, voluntary carbon market body proposes

An adaptation levy on carbon credits could raise up to $2.5bn a year by 2030, providing more predictable support for climate vulnerable countries

Jun 17, 2022

Investigations

Data exclusive: The ‘junk’ carbon offsets revived by the Glasgow Pact

Analysis for Climate Home identifies hundreds of problematic projects that could be used to greenwash national and corporate climate plans

Mar 28, 2022

Carbon markets

Australian carbon traders defend troubled offset market against whistleblower claims

Policy upheaval and stark criticism of the quality of carbon offsets from a former official have thrown Australia’s ability to deliver on carbon targets into doubt

Mar 17, 2022

Carbon markets

Carney, Kyte oversee carbon offset rules to address greenwashing concerns

Two initiatives will release standards for the voluntary carbon market this year, while campaigners denounce offsetting as a “scam” that delays real climate action

Feb 10, 2022

Carbon markets

‘Misleading’ Polish billboards blame EU climate policy for electricity costs

State-owned utilities are using rising energy costs to attack the EU emissions trading system, stoking tensions between Warsaw and Brussels

Jan 28, 2022

Investigations

Crypto bubble: The hype machine behind a $70,000 carbon credit

UK-based cryptocurrency venture Save Planet Earth has convinced investors it can make them rich and fix the climate, but its tree-planting vision is a long way from reality

Nov 4, 2021

Carbon markets

Big business must not be allowed to set the carbon trading agenda at Cop26

Delicate negotiations on carbon market rules in Glasgow could be thrown off course by the big banks’ push to “scale up” voluntary carbon trading

Oct 26, 2021

Carbon markets

‘Chess game’ as negotiators seek elusive carbon market deal at Cop26

Agreeing on rules for a global carbon market has become a high-level political focus of the Glasgow summit but experts warn getting it wrong will undermine 1.5C ambition

Oct 20, 2021

Carbon markets

We don’t have time to dismiss carbon markets as a climate solution

Concerns carbon markets could become a new form of colonialism are not unfounded – but with robust safeguards, they can deliver much-needed climate finance

Oct 13, 2021

Carbon markets

Japan eyes international carbon offsets to deliver 2030 emission cuts

Campaigners accused Japan of failing to take responsibility for cutting its own emissions and relying on developing nations to do so

Sep 23, 2021

Carbon markets

Why I refuse to collude with polluters in the carbon offsetting lie

The industry-led Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets is pitching carbon offsets as a win for the Global South. This is greenwashing at its most patronising

Jun 30, 2021

Carbon markets

‘Hot air’ carbon offset scheme undermines Colombia’s climate goal, experts warn

Colombia stands to lose $62m in carbon tax revenue and underperform its emissions targets due to flawed forest carbon credit projects, investigators claim

May 18, 2021

Carbon markets

Shell’s net zero plan will be judged on science, not spin

Shell’s net zero plan is better seen as a defence of its core oil and gas business, which it is planning to expand, than a genuine energy transition

Mar 24, 2021

Carbon markets

Carbon markets are proving resilient to the coronavirus pandemic

In contrast with the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash, carbon prices have not taken a big hit from Covid-19, reflecting improvements in market design

Mar 17, 2021

Carbon markets

Scientists push to add “huge” fish trawling emissions to national inventories

Bottom-trawling for fish releases more carbon dioxide each year than Germany, a study has revealed, yet this is not included in national carbon accounts

Feb 17, 2021

Carbon markets

DR Congo campaigners take minister to court over illegal logging rights claims

Environment minister Claude Nyamugabo is accused of violating a moratorium on logging in the Congo rainforest, by awarding concessions the size of Wales

Jan 27, 2021

Carbon markets

Carney’s carbon offset taskforce ducks environmental integrity questions

As the UN special envoy for climate action and finance unveils plans to scale up the voluntary carbon market, campaigners warn big gaps remain on quality standards

Jan 7, 2021

Carbon markets

China launches world’s largest carbon market for power sector

China’s national emissions trading scheme could become a significant lever for climate action, but experts warn that it will do little to curb emissions in the short term

Dec 15, 2020

Carbon markets

UN-led carbon market suspends formal project registration after 2020

Countries are under mounting pressure to resolve carbon trading rules at Cop26, as the future of the Clean Development Mechanism hangs in the balance

Dec 9, 2020

Carbon markets

Brazil sets ‘indicative’ goal of carbon neutrality by 2060

Brazil is seeking to join the net zero club, but campaigners denounced its pledge as meaningless while deforestation rises under President Bolsonaro

Nov 10, 2020

Finance

Mark Carney oversees blueprint for scaling up carbon market as offset demand soars

With more and more businesses setting net zero emissions targets, the voluntary carbon market needs stronger quality control to scale up, says UN special envoy