Credible Carbon for Africa launched by the PACE centre

Contributed by James Robinson
05 August 2008

Credible Carbon is a carbon trading programme developed by Africans who can use local knowledge to ensure that carbon offsets bring real local development benefits. Read the press release from 28 July 2008

From the press release from the PACE Centre:

"Credible Carbon will provide the opportunity for individuals and organisations anywhere to offset their emissions while contributing to sustainable development projects across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Any individual or organisation, in any country, can make a real difference by supporting Credible Carbon. Every time you take a flight, drive a car or use energy in your home, you are responsible for releasing more greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. It is people in the poorest countries, especially in Africa, who will suffer most from changes to the planet's climate. They don't have resources to adapt their lifestyles, or to protect themselves from increased natural disasters.

Avoiding carbon-emitting activities is of course the best response. But, for those activities that you can't avoid, helping to offset the carbon that you produce will slow global warming and improve the living conditions for people in Africa.

We are not offering you the chance to buy complacency

Credible Carbon encourages lifestyle and structural changes that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provides tangible advice on how to achieve this. We only recommend carbon trading where such change is not tenable. Carbon trading should not allow investors to buy complacency with regards to the need to reduce their emissions.

We are African based

Credible Carbon is run by people based in Africa focusing on poverty alleviating emissions reduction projects for the benefit of Africa. At PACE we use our network of local relations established over many years to overcome these barriers. Credible Carbon aims to provide greater contact between traders and African beneficiaries, bringing transparency and credibility to promote the type of interaction that is essential for sustainable development.

This distinguishes us from companies currently trading emissions reductions, most of which are based in industrialized countries and driven by the quest for cheap emissions reductions and large scale transactions. This focus can prove damaging to small-scale poverty alleviation projects in Africa, many of which require locally informed, tailored assistance.

We are poverty alleviation focussed

It is easy to reduce emissions in a way that makes no impact on developing country poverty. Indeed many carbon trading projects aggravate poverty. PACE is committed to the duel mandate, envisaged in the original carbon trading concept, of reducing emissions and poverty simultaneously. At PACE we believe that both poverty alleviation and emissions reductions are essential in combating global warming, and integral to environmental justice.

What are the features that make Credible Carbon projects credible?

  • Adhere to the principles of the "Gold Standard", thereby ensuring a verifiable contribution to greenhouse gas mitigation,
  • Deliver quantifiable poverty alleviation benefits
  • Provide real-time links between off-setters and development projects
  • Establish ongoing relationships with beneficiaries to ensure appropriate and relevant projects
For more information, please go to www.carbon.org.za or contact pace@....

Credible Carbon is a brand of the PACE Centre, Promoting Access to Carbon Equity"
Categories: Carbon| Africa