Study reveals exaggerated climate impact claims in popular cookstove carbon offset projects

A recent study has uncovered that cookstove carbon offset schemes, a growing trend in environmental initiatives, may be overstating their climate benefits by a staggering 1,000%.

Patrick Greenfield reports for The Guardian.

In short:

• Clean cookstove projects, widely used for carbon offsetting, are likely overstating their climate benefits.
• The study, conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, suggests a 10-fold overestimation in these projects' impact.
• Despite criticisms, some cookstove companies are adopting new methods to accurately measure their environmental contributions.

Key quote:

“A carbon credit market built on exaggerations is destined to fail. Our hope is that the specific recommendations we offer can help make clean cookstoves a trusted source of quality carbon credits.”

— Barbara Haya, director of the Berkeley Carbon Trading Project

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