ESG & Investing
Carbon Offset Gatekeepers Are Failing to Stop Junk Credits
New research finds the leading standard-setters are systematically over-crediting projects, generating junk carbon offsets that some companies use to make green claims.
Pigeon River Country State Forest in Vanderbilt, Michigan.
Photographer: Erin Kirkland/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A study covering almost 300 carbon offset projects found that the industry’s top registries have consistently allowed developers to claim far more climate-saving benefits than justified.
Researchers led by Barbara Haya from the University of Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy assessed the methods underpinning forestry projects responsible for 11% of all carbon offsets ever issued. They found shortcomings in each that resulted in bogus credits.