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 …

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 …

September editorial: Seeking common ground on the climate crisis

The European Emissions Trading System covers almost half of Europe’s climate problem, but it occupies only a fraction of the public mind. We’ve teamed up with a dozen other NGOs in Europe for the Emissions Trading eXtra (ETX) project to shine a floodlight on the ETS and its future, as well as to tilt up …

Harnessing people power to reduce emissions

A new project led by Carbon Market Watch seeks to empower European civil society to shape the EU’s Emissions Trading System and carbon pricing policies. Carbon Market Watch launched Emissions Trading eXtra (ETX) earlier this month. This new project aims to enhance European climate governance and optimise the functioning of the EU’s carbon market, the …

Penetrating the carbon removal smokescreen

Carbon dioxide removal, or carbon removal for short, is a controversial and widely misunderstood topic. Harnessed properly, it can help cool our planet and combat global heating. Misused, it can be reduced to an exercise in greenwashing and creative climate bookkeeping that enables polluters to continue polluting with impunity. Wijnand Stoefs explains. Carbon removal means …

There is no cheating the atmosphere

Simply throwing public money at misleading climate solutions, such as carbon capture and storage/utilisation, would be a huge mistake. Although books can be cooked, the atmosphere cannot be cheated. Back in June, fifteen Members of the European Parliament sent an open letter to European  Commisson Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson, Internal Market Commissioner …

Carbon Market Watch Newsletter June 2021

Forestry offsets allow Colombian fossil fuel companies to dodge taxes Colombia has a carbon tax in place, but companies are allowed to buy offsets to avoid paying the tax.  Our new investigation finds that two large-scale Amazonian forestry projects have sold carbon credits for way more emission reductions than they have actually achieved. Such “hot …

How heavy industry is profiting from the EU carbon market

Welcome to Carbon Countdown, a podcast by Carbon Market Watch covering all things carbon pricing and climate action Episode 3: How the heavy industry is profiting from the EU carbon market Carbon Market Watch · [Carbon Countdown] EPISODE 3: How the heavy industry is profiting from the EU carbon market Music: Ambient Technology by Joystock …