Carbon offsets : the U.S. voluntary market is growing, but quality assurance poses challenges for market participants : report to Congressional requesters

Resource Information

The work Carbon offsets : the U.S. voluntary market is growing, but quality assurance poses challenges for market participants : report to Congressional requesters represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Indiana State Library. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

Carbon offsets : the U.S. voluntary market is growing, but quality assurance poses challenges for market participants : report to Congressional requesters

Title remainder

the U.S. voluntary market is growing, but quality assurance poses challenges for market participants : report to Congressional requesters

Statement of responsibility

United States Government Accountability Office

Title variation

• Carbon offsets
• U.S. voluntary market is growing, but quality assurance poses challenges for market participants

Title variation remainder

the United States voluntary market is growing, but quality assurance poses challenges for market participants

Creator

• United States, Government Accountability Office.

Subject

• Carbon dioxide sinks -- United States -- Measurement
• Carbon sequestration -- United States -- Measurement
• Carbon dioxide mitigation -- United States
• Emissions trading -- United States -- Evaluation
• Greenhouse gas mitigation -- United States
• Climatic changes -- Risk management -- United States

Language

eng

Summary

Carbon offsets--reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from an activity in one place to compensate for emissions elsewhere--are a way to address climate change by paying someone else to reduce emissions. To be credible, an offset must be additional--it must reduce emissions below the quantity emitted in a business-as-usual scenario--among other criteria. Assessing credibility is inherently challenging because it is difficult to make business-as-usual projections. Outside the U.S., offsets may be purchased on compliance markets to meet requirements to reduce emissions. In the U.S., there are no federal requirements and offsets may be purchased in the voluntary market. GAO was asked to examine (1) the scope of the U.S. voluntary carbon offset market, including the role of the federal government; (2) the extent to which mechanisms for ensuring the credibility of offsets are available and used and what, if any, related information is shared with consumers; and (3) trade-offs associated with increased oversight of the U.S. market and including offsets in climate change mitigation policies. This report is based on analysis of literature and data, interviews with stakeholders, and GAO's purchase of offsets

Cataloging source

EJB

Government publication

federal national government publication

Illustrations

• illustrations
• maps

Index

no index present

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

• dictionaries
• bibliography