“Green Finance” Promises to Save the Planet. It’s Doing the Opposite / In October 2024, 60 renowned scientists from around the world warned that carbon offsets used by corporations are not cutting emissions overall and, in fact, are hindering the energy transition #GlobalCarbonFeeAndDividendPetition

I think this is a flawed assessment, lacking to look into the general principles and quality aspects which are key to successful programs and carbon credits. Without proper quality management such schemes certainly don’t work well. Regarding this much has been learned in the past years.

At the same time we urgently need to have a system which allows to reward those, who actually preserve nature or reduce emissions at large scale. The industrialized economies must pay for this, e.g. for protection of the amazon. And how do you do this? With clear agreements, diligent monitoring and fair financial compenstions. So, the “portection-performance” provided, must come with a high credibility and can in return be funded by those who have the cash.

This is why the major certification bodies for such actions – Verra and Gold Standard – have become more and more stringent with the criteria to be applied. This is all a pretty young “industry” and there is certainly still a lot to learn.

Interestingly, the very principle of Carbon Credits can also be applied to projects which are not about nature and trees but about decommissioning coal power plants 10-20 years earlier than planned: See [Financing the coal exit](https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Financing-the-coal-exit-Are-transition-credits-a-hype-or-an-effective-climate-tool-in-Southeast-Asia-.pdf) Pretty interesting and effective!