The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the world’s largest verifier of CO2 and corporate climate goals, could suffer long-term reputational damage unless it swiftly addresses a series of errors.
A council of technical experts advising the initiative highlighted concerns about recent controversies, including an April incident in which the initiative seemed to endorse a significant increase in the use of carbon credits to offset emissions.
This move was perceived by markets as an unplanned alteration to established standards, which the Technical Council described as a potential breach of approved SBTi procedures in a June 20 letter obtained by Bloomberg.
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The letter, which is marked confidential, says, “If this damage is not addressed and corrected over time, it will limit the effectiveness of the organization and the ability of SBTi to drive the corporate climate action required to limit warming in line with science.”
Following an initial statement that the SBTi later clarified, the organization received immediate praise from market participants eager to engage in carbon credit trading and investment.
SBTi has announced its intention to release an assessment on the effectiveness of carbon offsets in corporate climate goals and its “initial thoughts” on potential changes to Scope 3 target setting.
This update, anticipated this month, could significantly impact the offsets market once again.
In response to recent issues, the Technical Council recommended greater transparency measures for SBTi’s board. These include publishing meeting minutes, agendas, codes of conduct, and terms of reference on its website.
Additionally, the council suggested that the board establish and publish procedures for monitoring risks associated with external influences.