Staff at one of the worldโs leading climate-certification organisations are reported to have called for the CEO and board members to resign after they announced plans to allow companies to meet their climate targets with carbon offsets.
According to reports, they fear that companies will use the offsets for greenwashing, while avoiding making the necessary cuts in greenhouse gas emissions โ without which the world faces climate catastrophe.
The UN-backed Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which certifies whether a company is on track to help limit global heating to under 1.5C, has validated hundreds of net zero plans from companies including J Sainsbury plc, John Lewis and Maersk.
Till now, the SBTi has ruled out the use of carbon offsets, instead emphasising the importance of deep greenhouse gas emissions cuts. But on Tuesday, the SBTi board of trustees released plans to allow carbon credits in their net zero standard by permitting companies to use them to offset emissions from their supply chains, known as scope 3 emissions.
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The board said that there was โongoing healthy debate on the subjectโ, but that โwhen properly supported by policies, standards and procedures based on scientific evidenceโ, the use of offsets in supply chains could be โan additional tool to tackle climate changeโ, and so it had decided to extend their use. They said a draft of the new rules would be published by July.
SBTi staff reacted furiously to the announcement and advisers, who say they were not consulted on the decision and that the move is not based on science. In a letter to management seen by the Guardian, they called for the statement to be withdrawn, and for the resignation of CEO Luiz Fernando do Amaral and any board members who supported the decision.
The statement read: โWe stand ready to support any efforts aimed at ensuring that the SBTi does not become a greenwashing platform where decisions are unduly influenced by lobbyists, driven by potential conflicts of interest and poor adherence to existing governance procedures. In the event that our concerns are not addressed, SBTi staff will have no choice but to take further action.โ
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
