In an attempt to rebut accusations that buying and selling carbon offsets amounts to a whole lotta nothin’, a coalition of three groups has announced new voluntary standards for the international offset market. The standard attempts to verify that money spent on carbon offsets goes directly to a project that does indeed help the climate. Says Mark Kenber of London-based nonprofit Climate Group, which helped develop the standard, “We’re trying to give the basic assurance that [offset buyers are] getting what they’re paying for.”
