Demystifying the Romanticized Narratives About Carbon Credits From Voluntary Forest Conservation

Détails bibliographiques
Publié dans:	Global change biology. - 1999. - 31(2025), 10 vom: 13. Okt., Seite e70527
Auteur principal:	West, Thales A P (Auteur)
Autres auteurs:	Alford-Jones, Kelsey, Delacote, Philippe, Fearnside, Philip M, Filewod, Ben, Groom, Ben, Kaupa, Clemens, Kontoleon, Andreas, L'Horty, Tara, Probst, Benedict S, Riva, Federico, Romero, Claudia, Sills, Erin O, Soares-Filho, Britaldo, Zhang, Da, Wunder, Sven, Putz, Francis E
Format:	Article en ligne
Langue:	English
Publié:	2025
Accès à la collection:	Global change biology
Sujets:	Journal Article REDD+ carbon offset deforestation forest degradation greenwashing voluntary carbon market Carbon 7440-44-0

Description
Résumé:	© 2025 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Carbon offset projects aimed at avoiding deforestation and forest degradation, generally labeled "REDD+," are frequently promoted as a pivotal tool to mitigate climate change, promising to offer additional co-benefits for biodiversity and local communities. Despite this optimism, most positive impacts claimed by these initiatives in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) lack empirical support and are instead based on the hopeful narratives of stakeholders with clear conflicts of interest. We critically examine the scientific theories, concepts, and evidence regarding VCM's REDD+ projects, highlighting limitations on the quantification of their purported benefits that are inherent to the current design of carbon markets. Independent studies consistently point to shortcomings in the rigor and credibility of crediting methodologies and other procedures, which market players have been slow or reluctant to address. There is accumulating evidence that projects' climate and social impacts are often exaggerated due to a range of technical and practical shortcomings. We hope this work clarifies widespread misconceptions associated with REDD+ projects in the VCM and assists organizations and policymakers in their efforts to meaningfully mitigate climate change
Description:	Date Completed 13.10.2025 Date Revised 13.10.2025 published: Print Citation Status MEDLINE
ISSN:	1365-2486
DOI:	10.1111/gcb.70527