Publications
Publications
- July–August 2023
- Harvard Business Review
Accounting for Carbon Offsets
By: Robert S. Kaplan, Karthik Ramanna and Marc Roston
Abstract
Markets for carbon trading function poorly, and many traded offsets do not actually perform as promised. Without robust protocols for monitoring offsets and in the absence of proper accounting mechanisms, market-based approaches to reducing atmospheric GHG will be vulnerable to misrepresentation and fraud.
This article presents an accounting framework based on five core principles. The first two define what can and cannot be counted as an offset and what may or may not be traded. The remaining principles set out basic accounting guidelines for offsets. Together they provide the foundation for a well-functioning market that accelerates innovation and deployment of improved offsetting technologies, leading to atmospheric decarbonization.
This article presents an accounting framework based on five core principles. The first two define what can and cannot be counted as an offset and what may or may not be traded. The remaining principles set out basic accounting guidelines for offsets. Together they provide the foundation for a well-functioning market that accelerates innovation and deployment of improved offsetting technologies, leading to atmospheric decarbonization.
Keywords
Citation
Kaplan, Robert S., Karthik Ramanna, and Marc Roston. "Accounting for Carbon Offsets." Harvard Business Review 101, no. 4 (July–August 2023): 126–137.