Offsetting carbon emissions through carbon credits often presents itself as a simple solution to climate change, however, the reality is more complicated. While the carbon market has funded valuable environmental projects, investigations have found significant weaknesses within the scheme. In some cases, climate projects overstate their impact via exaggerated metrics, allowing companies to claim ‘net-zero’ emissions without meaningful emission reductions being made.
At Word Forest, we believe there is a better approach. Rather than selling carbon credits, we adopt a community-orientated model in which we work directly with communities in Kenya to improve livelihoods and create lasting environmental and social change. It’s a model in which companies and the public can feel confident that their money and efforts are making a real impact.
What are ‘Carbon Credits’?
A carbon credit (CC) represents one metric tonne of CO2 that has been removed from the atmosphere or prevented from being emitted. Companies purchase these credits to compensate for emissions they cannot, or do not, reduce themselves.
The money generated is used to fund climate projects such as reforestation or renewable energy developments. The organisations that issue out CCs and carry out the climate projects are assessed by an independent certification body.
This process evaluates the project against 4 key criteria:
- Additionality: the project only happens because of carbon credit funding
- Permanence: the carbon reduction is long-lasting and not reversed.
- Verifiability: independent third party confirms the emission reduction/avoidance has occurred.
- Uniqueness: Each tonne of CO2 is counted only once.
The carbon market has risen rapidly in the past decade, yet global temperatures continue to rise, which naturally raises the question: What is going wrong?
Where can Carbon Credits fall short?
Investigations have found CCs to not be as effective as they sometimes claim, and this is primarily due to a lack of transparency, long-term monitoring and accountability within the system. As a result, CCs can be used as a PR-shortcut for companies to brand themselves as ‘net-zero’ to the public.
The 4 criteria on which the basis of CCs are advertised, are frequently undermined in practice:
Many organisations, such as ‘The Guardian’ undertook investigations which found many climate projects funded by CCs were projects that were already going to happen. As a result of this, no additional positive environmental impact was made from these projects. In addition to this, many reforestation projects are destroyed by wildfires or logging projects.
Measuring and verifying emission reductions can present difficulties. Consequently, paired with a lack of long-term accountability, estimates of emission data have been found to be heavily exaggerated.
In many cases, estimates are not just exaggerated but are in fact not there! This is due to ‘Leakage’. Leakage occurs when the protection of one forest shifts deforestation elsewhere. This occurs if local communities still rely on timber or farmland for their livelihoods. Without addressing the needs of local communities, emissions may be displaced rather than eliminated.
What does Word Forest do differently?
Word Forest has adopted a non-market reforestation model in which we invest directly in community-led reforestation and education projects. This is an approach rooted in empowering the local communities in Kenya and combatting climate change in a way that benefits them as well as us.
Cutting out the Middle-Man
Our model completely eliminates the need for the ‘middlemen’. Verification to issue CCs requires large upfront and long-lasting expenses. The funding we receive is completely directed towards our reforestation projects and is not driven away by the market.
Complete transparency
Word Forest provides a direct and transparent route from investment to impact. Companies can feel secure and supported in their decision to contribute to our mission. Rather than purchasing an ‘offset’, companies are investing in long-lasting change with clearly-communicated outcomes.
Greater, long-lasting impact
Our goal is to contribute rather than offset. We work with organisations that are committed to reducing their environmental impact, and help them support meaningful reforestation alongside their own sustainability efforts.
Furthermore, our impact is not solely measured in reduced carbon emissions. Our social and environmental contributions are measured in the welfare of local people and the planet rather than questionable statistics.
As well as reducing emissions, healthy forests create multiple measurable outcomes such as:
- Empowering women
- Facilitating education
- Preventing period poverty
- Combating food and water insecurity
- Restoring biodiversity
Uplifting Communities
Our community-centred approach enables local people to have access to the education and resources that allow them to have agency over their own environment and continue to plant trees, facilitate education and empower local women. This way, we are combatting climate change in a way which supports the growth of local communities beyond the initial planting of trees.
Join us!
Our non-market reforestation model – a bypass of Carbon Credits – allows people and companies to support community-led projects with broad, measurable impacts on the environment. Ultimately, we recognise climate change is not an isolated issue and by approaching our projects holistically, we aim to create real change for everybody.
Be part of our mission and donate or explore partnership options:
Amelia Davis and The Team