This report discusses the role of the voluntary carbon offset market and provides an overview and guide to the most important currently available voluntary carbon offset standards using the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as a benchmark. Carbon offset markets have been promoted as an important part of the solution to the climate crisis because of their economic and environmental efficiency and their potential to deliver sustainability co-benefits through technology transfer and capacity building.

This report discusses the role of the voluntary carbon offset market and provides an overview and guide to the most important currently available voluntary carbon offset standards using the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) as a benchmark .The report compares the standards side-by-side and outlines the most pertinent aspects of each.

This report look at why the clean development mechanism is failing to reduce climate pollution, and outline a fair, effective framework for addressing the climate crisis.

Through its Green Carbon Initiative, WWF is deeply involved in the process of developing a credible and comprehensive standard system for forest carbon projects. This guidebook sets out what an appropriate meta-standard framework (MSF) must encompass in terms of both technical and methodological elements and implementation procedures to guide project developers and investors. It identifies those issues for which adequate guidance exists and point to where to find it. It also discusses topics for which further development is encouraged.

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) today launches an inquiry into the voluntary carbon offset market. Over the last few years, there has been a considerable growth in this market as awareness of climate change has increased and public and private bodies, as well as individuals, have sought to reduce their overall carbon footprint. The carbon offset market provides companies, public bodies and individuals with the opportunity to purchase credits generated from projects that reduce the amount of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere.

A global carbon market has evolved in the wake of negotiations for the United Nations Kyoto Protocol. A number of distinct markets are encompassed within its remit, including a voluntary retail arm. Although the voluntary retail market is very small in comparison to other segments, it has large growth potential as it can extend to countries, customer groups and technologies not embraced by the existing compliance regime.

This report presents the results of a survey on "Reporting the Business Implications of Climate Change in Sustainability Reports". This is a survey to catalogue types of reporting on climate change and was conducted by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and KPMG's Global Sustainability Services. The survey found that while almost all companies reported on climate change in their sustainability reports, on closer examination companies reported far more on potential opportunities rather than financial risks for their companies from climate change.