by Antoine Buéno, L’Opinion, 22 April 2024
On 9 April 2024, the SBTi, the benchmark label for corporate decarbonisation, opened the door to carbon credits. A breach, the article warns: offsetting is not reducing, and credits that often have no effect threaten the label’s credibility.
In brief
- The SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative), created in 2015 after the Paris Agreement by NGOs such as CDP, WRI and WWF, has become the global benchmark label for validating companies’ climate strategies.
- A carbon credit corresponds to one tonne of CO2 avoided or sequestered, for example by planting trees; a company can buy it to improve its carbon footprint.
- The decision sparked fierce controversy: SBTi staff challenged its governance, and the organisation published an unclear clarification.
The article’s three arguments
Offsetting is not reducing
If carbon credits validate decarbonisation, companies no longer have to transform their model: offsetting prolongs the status quo. The liberal objection, which wants to judge by results, runs up against the next point.
Credits that often have no effect
A survey published in January 2023 showed that more than 90% of carbon credits linked to the preservation of tropical forests had had no positive effect on the climate, according to the figures cited by the author.
The independence of certifiers
The SBTi’s scientific committee reportedly was not consulted, and the body is now also funded by corporate foundations. A climate label is worth only as much as the independence of those who award it.
‘But whatever the outcome, it proves that, without the absolute independence of its watchdogs, greenwashing will have many good years ahead of it.’Antoine Buéno, L’Opinion, 22 April 2024
Why this debate interests us
Measuring the real efforts of organisations on climate is a condition of any credible transition. This article recalls a distinction we also make: reducing one’s emissions and offsetting them are not equivalent, especially when offsetting relies on fragile credits. It invites us to look closely at labels, and at the independence of those who issue them.
Questions for debate
- Can carbon credits play a useful role, and under what conditions?
- How can we guarantee the independence of the bodies that certify climate strategies?
- Should a company be judged on its reduced emissions or on its offset emissions?
To go further on apala.fr
Summary written by Claude (Opus 5.5 model), an artificial intelligence, for APALA, based on the article published in L’Opinion on 22 April 2024. The positions expressed are those of the author. An error? Write to us.
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