TY - JOUR
T1 - Understanding carbon offset technologies
AU - Lovell, Heather
AU - Liverman, Diana
N1 - Funding Information:
Before proceeding we briefly outline our empirical research and methodology. Because of the shortage of primary research on carbon offsetting in political science we consider this to be important. The specialist knowledge, technologies and discourses associated with offsetting mean that offset organisations are key players in understanding how carbon offsets are produced and consumed, and it is therefore mainly with offset organisations that we concentrated our research. During 2007 and early 2008 we conducted 25 interviews with offset organisations, mostly with managers and directors of two particular international organisations (one operating in the compliance and one in the voluntary offset market). The research was funded by the UK Tyndall Centre and forms part of a project examining the role of non-nation-state actors in shaping the current and future international climate regime (see Tyndall Centre 2008). Since early 2007 we have conducted ongoing analysis of the grey literature on offsetting, including company reports and websites, news reports, evaluations by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and others. We were also able to observe some of the interactions that offset organisations had with other actors at the Bali 2007 and Poznan 2008 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties, as well as at several public workshops on offsetting during 2007 and 2008.
Funding Information:
We would like to thank the UK Research Councils-funded Tyndall Centre for Climate Change for support for this research.
PY - 2010/6
Y1 - 2010/6
N2 - In this article we unpack the 'black box' of carbon offsetting through a critical examination of the technologies and techniques that create carbon credits. Drawing on empirical research of compliance (Clean Development Mechanism) and voluntary carbon offset markets, we highlight the diversity of technologies, techniques and devices involved in carbon offsetting, ranging from refrigerant plants to systems of calculation and audit. We suggest that polarised debates for and against offsetting do not adequately reflect the considerable variations between types of offset project and governance practices in the compliance and voluntary offset markets. Using conceptual insights from governmentality theory and science and technology studies we assess the tensions in making standard, fungible carbon credits. In conclusion, we suggest attention to the technologies and materiality of carbon offsetting allows a fresh perspective on somewhat entrenched debates about the advantages and disadvantages of offsetting.
AB - In this article we unpack the 'black box' of carbon offsetting through a critical examination of the technologies and techniques that create carbon credits. Drawing on empirical research of compliance (Clean Development Mechanism) and voluntary carbon offset markets, we highlight the diversity of technologies, techniques and devices involved in carbon offsetting, ranging from refrigerant plants to systems of calculation and audit. We suggest that polarised debates for and against offsetting do not adequately reflect the considerable variations between types of offset project and governance practices in the compliance and voluntary offset markets. Using conceptual insights from governmentality theory and science and technology studies we assess the tensions in making standard, fungible carbon credits. In conclusion, we suggest attention to the technologies and materiality of carbon offsetting allows a fresh perspective on somewhat entrenched debates about the advantages and disadvantages of offsetting.
KW - Carbon offsetting
KW - Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
KW - Climate change
KW - Governmentality
KW - Offset technologies
KW - Science and technology studies (STS)
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U2 - 10.1080/13563460903548699
DO - 10.1080/13563460903548699
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77954649332
VL - 15
SP - 255
EP - 273
JO - New Political Economy
JF - New Political Economy
SN - 1356-3467
IS - 2
ER -