Mongabay Newscast
Debunking the UN's climate neutrality claims
Oct 10, 2023
Investigative reporters found that the United Nations is not climate neutral as it claims to be, relying on carbon credits that have little impact. Many projects issuing carbon credits to the UN were linked to environmental damage. The UN's purchase of low-cost carbon credits and the potential impact on the market is explored. The flaws in the carbon credits system and the importance of direct emissions reduction are discussed. The investigation of the UN's climate neutrality, including the surprising discovery of millions of UN credits, is highlighted.
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Quick takeaways
- The United Nations' claim of being climate neutral is largely based on the controversial use of carbon credits, which are often ineffective or detrimental to the environment and human health.
- The purchase of low-quality carbon credits by the UN raises doubts about the effectiveness of their climate neutrality claims and calls into question the integrity of carbon offsetting as a solution to the climate crisis.
Deep dives
The UN's Claims of Climate Neutrality
The United Nations (UN) claims to be 95% or more climate neutral, but their claim is largely based on the use of carbon credits, a controversial method of offsetting emissions. However, a year-long investigation by Mongabay and The New Humanitarian found that most of these offsets purchased by the UN are either ineffective or detrimental to the environment and human health. The investigation discovered that the UN is spending millions of dollars on low-quality carbon credits instead of investing in more effective climate solutions. This raises questions about the UN's credibility as a moral compass on climate change.
