Panel Discussion: 'The great carbon market debate: is it over for offsetting?'

28 February 2024

Portrait of Kaya Axelsson

with Kaya Axelsson
Policy Engagement Fellow at Oxford Net Zero

Kaya Axelsson is the jointly appointed Policy Engagement Fellow at Oxford Net Zero, working between the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and the Environmental Change Institute to support the practical application of net zero research in...

Portrait of Professor Myles Allen

with Professor Myles Allen
Professor of Geosystem Science

Myles Allen is Head of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics in the Department of Physics, University of Oxford, and Professor of Geosystem Science in the School of Geography and the Environment. His research focuses on how human and natural inf...

Critics and proponents of offsetting agree: achieving global net zero emissions is essential. But how we get there is up for debate.

Once hailed as a key solution to help individuals, organisations and governments achieve net zero emissions, offsetting approaches, and the carbon market underpinning them, have been plagued by bad actors, bad credits, and bad press.

But is the era of carbon offsetting over? Or could it still be reformed – not only offering a critical path to net zero, but also providing a necessary and efficient way to drive investment in mitigation projects, nature and sustainable livelihoods?

Finally, does the carbon market need offsetting, or could it still grow without selling "offsets"?

Join an expert panel of academics and practitioners as they discuss the future of net zero aligned carbon offsetting.

Panel:

  • Professor Myles Allen, Professor of Geosystem Science, School of Geography and the Environment
  • Kaya Axelsson, Head of Policy and Partnerships, Oxford Net Zero, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment
  • Sabine Frank, Executive Director, Carbon Market Watch
  • Lydia Sheldrake, Director of Policy and Partnerships, Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI)
  • Professor Mette Morsing (Chair), Director, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment

This was a joint event with The Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment