23.07.2007
The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has published the results of its investigation into voluntary carbon offsets, concluding that they have a ‘useful role’ in reducing carbon emissions and engaging the public. It recommends that encouragement and assistance should be given to individuals and organisations to offset their carbon.
While recognising that the market is young, with areas of improvement needed, the Committee says it is unfortunate that offsets as a whole currently risk being tainted by a few failed projects.
Important conclusions of the report include:
Voluntary offsets have an important role: “we believe that the voluntary carbon offset market does have a role to play both in reducing carbon emissions and raising awareness of climate change issues to the general public.” (p.12)
There is little evidence that offsetting encourages polluting behaviour: “It is often charged that offsetting might be seen as validating polluting behaviour... we found little substantial evidence to support the view that offsetting encourages ethical carelessness.”(p14)
Business and the public should be encouraged to offset: “Encouragement and assistance must be given to individuals, organisations and companies to offset.”(p.3)
The voluntary offset market is helping to fund important projects around the world and plays a valuable role in stimulating innovative approaches to carbon reduction. It is helping to compensate for some of the problems in the ‘compliance market’: “One of the strengths of the voluntary market… is its ability to be a source of ‘innovation’ for the credits and projects operating outside the compliance market…Often voluntary market projects have more ‘value-added’ characteristics than those found in the compliance market, such as additional environmental or sustainability benefits.” (p.16)
The government should recognise the value of voluntary emissions reductions projects and include them in its proposed code: “We recommend strongly that the government think again about its proposed code... it must produce a voluntary code based on all credit types which will recognise the important role that the voluntary market has to play in counterbalancing the flaws of the compliance market.”(p.53)
A full copy of the report can be downloaded from the Committee’s website.
The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has published the results of its investigation into voluntary carbon offsets, concluding that they have a ‘useful role’ in reducing carbon emissions and engaging the public. It recommends that encouragement and assistance should be given to individuals and organisations to offset their carbon.
While recognising that the market is young, with areas of improvement needed, the Committee says it is unfortunate that offsets as a whole currently risk being tainted by a few failed projects.
Important conclusions of the report include:
Voluntary offsets have an important role: “we believe that the voluntary carbon offset market does have a role to play both in reducing carbon emissions and raising awareness of climate change issues to the general public.” (p.12)
There is little evidence that offsetting encourages polluting behaviour: “It is often charged that offsetting might be seen as validating polluting behaviour... we found little substantial evidence to support the view that offsetting encourages ethical carelessness.”(p14)
Business and the public should be encouraged to offset: “Encouragement and assistance must be given to individuals, organisations and companies to offset.”(p.3)
The voluntary offset market is helping to fund important projects around the world and plays a valuable role in stimulating innovative approaches to carbon reduction. It is helping to compensate for some of the problems in the ‘compliance market’: “One of the strengths of the voluntary market… is its ability to be a source of ‘innovation’ for the credits and projects operating outside the compliance market…Often voluntary market projects have more ‘value-added’ characteristics than those found in the compliance market, such as additional environmental or sustainability benefits.” (p.16)
The government should recognise the value of voluntary emissions reductions projects and include them in its proposed code: “We recommend strongly that the government think again about its proposed code... it must produce a voluntary code based on all credit types which will recognise the important role that the voluntary market has to play in counterbalancing the flaws of the compliance market.”(p.53)
A full copy of the report can be downloaded from the Committee’s website.
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