Carbon offsets first took off in the 2000s when the UN launched the Clean Development Mechanism.

For those who might not be familiar, carbon credits are intended to reduce, remove, or avoid emissions. But while the intentions are good for our planet, companies working to generate climate benefits through credit purchases often grapple with the differences and uncertainties of credit quality to ensure that those benefits are real. 

Beyond differences, bad practice and questionable science in the voluntary carbon markets mean that firms relying on offsetting to hit net zero targets risk greenwashing.

So, do carbon offset projects necessarily meet set targets, and can the results be reliably measured? 

On this episode of Eco Money, Dr Ruipeng Liu, Senior Lecturer for the Finance Group at Deakin Business School shares his insights.

Presented by: Audrey Siek
Produced by: Yeo Kai Ting (ykaiting@sph.com.sg) 
Photo credits: pixabay & its talented community of contributors