Internal Report Exposes Flaws in Carbon Offset Scheme Challenging Environmental InitiativeGroupLayout|system|>

A leaked internal report by staff at a prominent climate action group has found that the majority of carbon offsets, which allow companies to pay to reduce greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere rather than cutting their own pollution, are ineffective in delivering actual emissions reductions. This challenges the stance of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTI), which is backed by high-profile environmentalists like John Kerry and the Bezos Earth Fund, and had previously announced its intention to permit the use of these credits before completing its research. The SBTI’s board of trustees subsequently clarified that no decision had yet been made, pending further analysis. Many corporations, including tech giants Microsoft, Salesforce, and Amazon.com, currently use carbon offsets, although the market for these credits remains relatively small, worth around $2bn. Critics contend that the quality of these offsets is questionable and could serve as a substitute for genuine efforts to cut emissions. The SBTI’s study is ongoing, and the organization has stated that it will make public the results once complete.