Joint statement – 80+ civil society organisations reject the use of carbon offsets
More than 80 leading civil society organisations, including ECOS, have issued a joint statement rejecting the use of carbon offsets to meet corporate climate targets. We call on accounting bodies like the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to continue excluding offsets and stick to scientifically-sound methodologies for tracking corporate climate efforts.
Signed by over 80 leading civil society organisations, the joint statement underlines that:
- Carbon offsetting delays climate action
- Offsetting inherently lacks credibility and impact
- There are only so many ‘quality’ credits that could be used as offsets
- The climate funding gap for the Global South will not be solved by offsetting
Worryingly, the pendulum of climate claims appears to be swinging back towards carbon offsetting, with the SBTi considering allowing companies to use offsets to report lower emissions in their global value chains – where most emissions come from.
Scientists, experts, and industry leaders have called on the SBTi to withdraw this proposal. They are now joined by over 80 more voices from civil society calling for offsetting to be excluded from climate target setting, with real solutions prioritised instead.
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