Rainforest carbon credit schemes misleading and ineffective, finds report

An Indigenous leader looks at a path created by loggers in Altamira, Pará state, Brazil. Some projects fail to provide safeguards for vulnerable forest communities, says the report Photograph: Léo Corrêa/AP

Rainforest conservation projects are not suitable for carbon offsetting and a different approach should be used to effectively protect critical ecosystems such as the Amazon and Congo basin, a report has concluded.

New research by UC Berkeley Carbon Trading Project looking into rainforest carbon credits certified by Verra, which operates the world’s leading carbon standard, found that the system is not fit for purpose.