CARBON OFFSETTING TO BE REGULATED

UK to tackle bogus carbon schemes
18 January 2007 (BBC News)
- The UK government is to set standards for carbon offsetting schemes to bring "greater clarity" to the industry.

- The move comes as…carbon offsetting schemes have been attacked for a lack of transparency and inconsistent prices.
- Environment Secretary David Miliband said the voluntary standards would help consumers pick "genuine" projects…
- There are a number of ways that consumers can offset their carbon emissions…paying for trees to be planted…buying energy-efficient light bulbs for…developing nations.
- The worry for the government has been that the benefits of many of the projects have proved difficult to verify and may be open to abuse.
- The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has named just four offset providers that meet its new guidelines - Pure, Global Cool, Equiclimate and Carbon Offsets...

- The new standards will be based only on projects that can be certified, including flexible schemes agreed under the Kyoto Protocol…
- …a hitherto confusing industry is being examined and made more clear…UK charity Pure, for example, does not run any projects itself, but invests donor money into certified credits.
- The code of practice proposes that offset providers supply consumers with clear information and transparent prices…
- Environment Secretary David Miliband said offsetting "isn't the answer to climate change…The first step should always be to see how we can avoid and reduce emissions…”