BP's carbon credits questioned for lack of real climate benefit

A satellite analysis revealed that Finite Carbon, a BP-owned company, sells carbon offsets for forests that are not at risk of deforestation, raising concerns about their true climate impact.

Luke Barratt reports for SourceMaterial in partnership with Miranda Green reporting for Floodlight.

In short:

Finite Carbon, responsible for a significant portion of U.S. carbon credits, faces criticism for selling offsets on trees unlikely to be cut down.
Experts found that 79% of credits from key projects, valued at $334 million, should not have been issued.
The analysis highlights systemic flaws in California’s cap-and-trade system, allowing companies to exploit offset protocols.

Key quote:

“We don’t think that the project should have been allowed to proceed and earn credits.”

— Elias Ayrey, head scientist at Renoster

Why this matters:

Carbon offsets are intended to reduce net emissions, but flawed credits undermine this goal, allowing continued pollution.

floodlightnews.org

Environmentalists are struggling, but their struggle isn’t unique to the Trump administration

“No one is going to save us.”

It’s a difficult time to be an environmental advocate. On his first day as president, Trump reversed most of the Biden administration’s climate policies with a series of executive orders. Since then, the administration has frozen funding for clean energy projects and community climate grants, and put most of the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency’s office of environmental justice staff on administrative leave, and rolled back key environmental protections.

Keep reading...Show less

Read the Full Article on

www.ehn.org

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.

BP's carbon credits questioned for lack of real climate benefit

Environmentalists are struggling, but their struggle isn’t unique to the Trump administration

“No one is going to save us.”

Trump order stalls Indigenous-led climate efforts

Scientists fear rollback of clean air rules could bring acid rain back

Trump freezes federal funds for abandoned oil well cleanup, leaving states in limbo

Trump blocks funding for science agencies, risking AI and weather research

Earth is losing soil moisture fast — and it’s changing sea levels and the planet’s rotation

Global sea ice reaches record low as Earth's poles continue to warm

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.

LISTEN: Reflections on the first five years of the Agents of Change program

The leadership team talks about what they’ve learned — and what lies ahead.