The Ethics of Carbon Neutrality: A Critical Examination of Voluntary Carbon Offset Providers

ABSTRACT. In this article, we explore the world’s response to the increasing impact of carbon emissions on the sobering threat posed by global warming: the carbon offset market. Though the market is a relatively new one, numerous offset providers have quickly emerged under both regulated and voluntary regimes. Owing to the lack of technical literacy of some stakeholders who participate in the market, no common quality or certification structure has yet emerged for providers. To the contrary, the media warns that a relative ‘‘cowboy’ ’ atmosphere prevails in the current environment, and that there are ‘‘widespread instances of people and organizations buying worthless credits that do not yield any reductions in carbon emissions’ ’ (Harvey and Fidler, Financial Times, 2007). At this point in the evolution of the market, only