The Carbon Sheriff is coming to town

       

Further reading

• Beware of the carbon cowboys! (2768)

The voluntary markets for carbon offsets have been criticised and warnings issued about carbon cowboys raiding the markets. But rescue is close at hand - the Carbon Sheriff is coming!

In a report, from Ecosystems Marketplace and New Carbon Finance, which tells you everything you ever wanted to know about the "wild west" of carbon credits, it can be seen that some of the systems are more credible than others and will soon dominate.

The report also talks about types of projects and locations. Again, we can clearly see the under-representation of efficiency projects.

According to The Economist, the winning systems are:

• The Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) created by the International Emissions Trading Association, the Climate Group and the World Economic Forum
• The Gold Standard, developed by the World Wildlife Fund, and
• The Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) standard

It is time for the cowboys to hand in their guns! The looting is over!