Nothing Ahead, Pexels

Due south: Geographic disparity of project actors in the voluntary carbon market

The voluntary carbon market (VCM) is often championed as a key tool for combating climate change and funding climate mitigation projects, especially in economically disadvantaged regions like Africa. Despite Africa’s minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, the continent is heavily impacted by climate change. Recently, the number of VCM projects on the continent has increased …

Hidden in plain sight: Flawed renewable energy projects in the voluntary carbon market

Whilst REDD+ credits have been the subject of intense media and civil society scrutiny, the same cannot be said of renewable energy projects, which are plagued by similar issues when used for offsetting, yet manage to hide in plain sight. Serious concerns exist regarding the use of renewable energy projects to generate carbon credits. Those …

Climate profiteering: Are intermediaries exploiting carbon markets for their own ends?

Despite the role voluntary carbon markets are meant to play in financing climate action, the exact amount of money reaching climate projects and local communities is shrouded in mystery, while nine out of 10 intermediaries do not disclose their fees or profit margins, a new study commissioned by Carbon Market Watch reveals.

Secretive intermediaries: Are carbon markets really financing climate action?

The purchase of carbon credits through the voluntary carbon market is widely considered to be an effective way to channel finance towards climate action. However, despite years of existence and the recent hype surrounding voluntary carbon markets, no public research exists to assess how much VCM finance is actually reaching climate mitigation projects and local …

Analysis of voluntary carbon market stakeholders and intermediaries

Commissioned by Carbon Market Watch and conducted by AlliedOffsets, this report explores the role of intermediaries in the voluntary carbon market. It seeks to determine how much of the money flowing through these markets reaches climate projects on the ground and how much is intercepted by intermediaries as fees and mark-up to fatten their profits. The report identifies a dearth of information on the details of carbon credit trades and a lack of transparency on the part of intermediaries.