Leading environmental publisher ENDS (Environmental Data Services) has made an important contribution to the carbon offsetting debate by announcing publication of The ENDS Guide to Carbon Offsets.
This one-of-a-kind guide provides much-needed help for confused offset purchasers by establishing a clear threshold for acceptable carbon offset quality and advising purchasers to steer clear of offsets that fall below it.
It points buyers towards 30 named offset providers world-wide that show strong commitment to delivering quality carbon offsets.
It recommends buyers avoid:
- Offsets from tree-planting (forestry) schemes – Although future schemes to avoid deforestation could become acceptable, about half of all retail offset providers operating currently sell only or mainly credits from tree-planting.
- Renewable energy credits (RECs) and Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) credits - The major type of offset credit produced and sold in North America.
- New South Wales Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme credits (NGACs) – Most Australian offset providers sell NGACs or credits from tree-planting.
- Project-based voluntary emission credits (VERs) without 3rd party verification.
Within its top 30, the guide identifies the global top three providers with the highest commitment to offset carbon quality: MyClimate based in Switzerland, Atmosfair in Germany and Offset the Rest in New Zealand.
Europe emerges as the global centre of quality carbon offset providers, with 25 of the top 30 based or active there. Within this, the UK, and specifically London, is the epicentre, with nine of the top 30 based there.
The global top 30 are drawn from the most comprehensive global listing of offset providers ever published. The ENDS Guide to Carbon Offsets is the largest listing of its kind, naming over 170 providers, three times more than any previous estimate of the carbon offset provision market.
The guide presents a unique DIY system for scoring carbon offsets according to their carbon and broader sustainability quality. The scoring system can also be used to rate the quality of offset providers’ portfolios and so compare providers.
Though aimed mainly at organisations, the guide could equally be used by individuals who want to really understand offsetting rather than just make a couple of clicks on the web.
The guide also explains the basics of carbon offsetting, including how to integrate offsetting into a broader climate change strategy focused on own-emission cuts.
“Carbon offsetting has faced enormous criticism, but has a continuing and growing role in addressing climate change,” commented the guide’s author, Tejas Ewing. “We hope this guide will help cement that future by enabling buyers to identify quality offsets and avoid bad ones.'
“Continued efforts to develop new and stricter standards for offsetting and offsets will also be vital,” continued Tejas Ewing. “However, we believe that certain voluntary offset credits (VERs) already make the grade. Therefore we are not pointing all buyers towards credits regulated under the Kyoto mechanisms or EU emission trading scheme. VERs also have a role to play, we believe.”
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