Additionality: Offsets’ Achilles Heel
Last week, I posted on LinkedIn a piece from Greenbiz.com dealing with forestry and carbon offsets, with comments of my own. I was stunned to see my short comment get more than 8,000 views in just a few days. If nothing else, it confirms today’s heightened interest in and skepticism of carbon offsets. It reminds me […]
It’s Time to Score Carbon Offset Quality
In 1988, as an associate at the World Resources Institute, I worked on the first carbon offset project. Thirty-one years later, carbon offsets are a well-known and common piece of climate mitigation efforts — and they are at a critical juncture. As countries around the world act to reduce their GHG emissions, the number of […]
“Project Drawdown” and “Climate of Hope”: Moving the GHG Needle?
April 18th was a big day for climate change books. Paul Hawken’s long-awaited Project Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming came out, as did Michael Bloomberg’s and Carl Pope’s Climate of Hope: How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet. Both titles are provocative and optimistic, and both books are […]
Houston, We Could Have a (Carbon Pricing) Problem!
With the election of Donald Trump, what will happen to carbon prices (or, more accurately, what will happen to the prospect of robust carbon pricing?) Expectations of future carbon prices are potentially important to all sorts of energy (and other) decision-making, which explains why so many decision-makers are interested in carbon price forecasts. Many electric […]
If Climate Neutrality is the Answer, What was the Question?
A renewed focus on personal and organizational responsibility for and action against climate change is leading to renewed interest in carbon offsets and carbon neutrality. One expression of this interest is through the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The university presidents premise their commitment on the idea, as stated by Arizona State […]