FAKE: Carbon credit is greenwashing

Greenwashing means selling a false illusion of avoiding greenhouse gas emissions. That is not the case for the credits sold by Carbonext and other serious companies in the sector. A credit is only issued after it has been proven that the equivalent biomass was actually preserved and the emissions were avoided.

The REDD+ methodology (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) requires project developers to demonstrate that without their intervention, the area would have been deforested, generating the same amount of emissions that are now being avoided and credited. This involves analyzing the historical deforestation pattern of the area over the past ten years and the current pressures surrounding it — such as roads and nearby deforested zones. This is known as additionality.

The project and its monitoring reports (produced annually or biennially, depending on biomass volume) also need to prove that there was no leakage, meaning that deforestation was not simply displaced to nearby areas. Thus, monitoring goes beyond the boundaries of the project itself, generating intelligence over the broader landscape.