How governments could fund permanent carbon removal now and shift costs by 2035

Carbon credits allow companies to offset their greenhouse gas emissions through mitigation projects in order to meet voluntary targets, compliance obligations, or national net-zero goals. However, a recent analysis found that at least 84% of carbon credits did not represent real emissions reductions. Avoided emissions claimed by protecting forests can be double-counted—or reversed if those trees are later harvested—and some mitigation, such as certain renewable energy projects, would likely have gone forward even without being counted as a credit.