We seek out the gaps in mainstream reporting to look where no one else is looking. We uncover the hidden actors shaping our politics, society and environment—stories that affect everyone.
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11 July 2024
BP venture sells carbon offsets by ‘saving’ trees that aren’t in danger
Finite Carbon runs the largest forest offsetting projects in the US. Analysis suggests they aren’t doing what they claim
29 May 2024
‘Saviour of carbon markets’ faces questions over African land rights
Carbon Done Right says it has secured 57,000 hectares for offsetting—but no leases have been registered
29 November 2023
Scramble for Africa
An Emirati sheikh and an Italian fugitive are hoovering up land for an ambitious carbon offsetting project that critics say will make the climate crisis worse
9 October 2023
‘Blueprint for disaster’
An ambitious plan to re-engineer the carbon market could play havoc with net zero goals and raises questions about human rights
13 July 2023
Revolt of the South Pole penguins
Carbon offsetting’s ‘unicorn’ wants to be an ultra-ethical social enterprise. Behind the scenes its deals with oil giants and authoritarian rulers are stirring dissent
20 January 2023
‘They came at night’: Armed men at Disney forest project razed farmers’ homes
Coffee growers say Peru authorities demolished houses on a conservation site generating millions of dollars in carbon credits for US entertainment giant
18 January 2023
The Carbon Con
The world’s biggest companies, from Netflix to Ben & Jerry’s, are pouring billions into an offsetting industry whose climate claims appear increasingly at odds with reality
12 December 2022
Total’s Congo offsetting project ‘snatched our land’
Farmers say oil giant’s tree-planting scheme has barred them from their fields and threatens livelihoods.
31 May 2022
Qatar World Cup relying on flawed carbon offsets
SourceMaterial analysis finds problems with the competition's claims
2 May 2022
Buy low, sell high: What they don’t tell you about carbon offsets
As investors flock to a booming market, middlemen are pocketing cash that is supposed to fight climate change
25 October 2021
Shell ‘Drive Carbon Neutral’ claims in doubt after forest scrutiny
As world leaders gather to debate the future of carbon offsetting, a SourceMaterial investigation raises questions about the oil giant’s net zero plans