Can the UN clean up the trade in carbon offsets?

posted by Dustin
The credibility of the whole system of carbon trading that is promoted in every entry level environmental, economics, and policy studies course is at stake. The question is, does anything voluntary ever work? Or another question is, would these CDM proposals simply emerge as development/aid programs otherwise? It sounds like the UN is finally treating this whole carbon offsetting and trading debacle with a little more scrutiny. Some groups like carbon trade watch have been looking with skepticism for some time. See the carbon neutral myth...

Can the UN clean up the trade in carbon offsets?
Posted by James Kanter

These days you can readily buy carbon credits from websites to“offset” your greenhouse gas emissions at home or from a flight. This trade has grown quickly but it has attracted sharp criticism because the companies offering the credits are largely unregulated and sometimes poorly monitored.

continued at international herald tribune...