Voluntary carbon offset schemes could significantly help attempts to cut greenhouse gas emissions if their effectiveness can be proven
Companies that cannot avoid emitting carbon are keen to fund ways of cutting their emissions by other means, although honest accounting is needed
GET OUT CLAUSE The effectiveness of carbon offsets is hard to quantify
CLEAR THINKING Greater clarity will be needed in the scaling up and securitisation of offset schemes
KEY QUOTE The problem is when carbon offsets are seen as a miracle solution that spares companies from having to reduce their carbon emissions ...
Try FORESIGHT - 30 days for €29
Offsetting emissions is fraught with problems and critics fear these programmes could distract from the real goal of keeping fossil fuels in the ground
The deep retrofit of the Empire State Building showcases efficient use of energy, but more will be needed
A goal to become the first carbon neutral capital city as early as 2025 is at least partly dependent on Denmark’s new national government throwing its weight behind Copenhagen’s aspirations
Enthusiasm for e-fuels is growing, but it is still unclear where the renewable energy will come from to produce them
Much as in the energy transition debate, the big question is who pays for carbon removal
With the world facing an energy and a biodiversity emergency, realisation is growing that solutions need to be made compatible with sustainability in both areas
The world’s building stock is forecast to double in size by 2050 to house a global population of 11 billion. If climate neutrality is also to be met by this date, the construction industry will have to significantly slash emissions from the materials it uses
Time-stamped certificates would allow customers to know where their power is coming from at any given time and could provide another signal for investors by driving up prices for green energy certificates when supply is short. Regulators are taking steps to ensure that consumers signing up for green tariffs are really helping to progress the energy transition