Thread by @dsaezgil

Anyone following the public discourse on #carbonmarkets saw the latest reporting on the important issue of baselines for forest carbon projects. Rather than reacting to sensational claims, I want to offer a broader perspective on the challenges/opportunities of this sector.

1/n

Reading only headlines would leave one with a gross misperception about the state and potential of this space. While it’s true that there is an alarming number of projects that are over-credited, there are plenty of projects operating today delivering a clear, measurable impact.

Under Pachama's rigorous evaluation standards, we found dozens of projects that are correctly credited, sequestering millions of tons of CO2 and effectively protecting millions of hectares of rainforest truly under threat.

@CarbonCredits, properly designed, represent a critical solution. A mechanism to drive funding to projects that sequester carbon, allowing the emitters to take responsibility for their impact while they decarbonize, it’s essential to reach planetary net zero emission.

Enhancing crediting integrity is fundamental to making this work at scale. Digital technologies are foundational to enabling a standardized, high-integrity carbon crediting system that can scale and not be gamed. That is precisely what Pachama has been working on since day one.

We have been developing new tools and models harnessing satellite data and artificial intelligence to establish algorithmic, dynamic baselines, remote sensing based carbon stocks, jurisdictional risk maps and transparent data auditing systems.

We have been using these tools to evaluate legacy projects highlighting the truly impactful ones, but also to help start a whole new generation of tech-driven, highly impactful projects; and most importantly to help redesign the system from scratch.

We recently published our Project Evaluation Criteria, explaining how we use technology to scientifically validate projects' quality. We also launched Pachama Originals, our effort to help start new high-quality projects.

And more recently we announced our work piloting a DMRV (Digital Monitoring, Reporting & Verification) Platform to help registries automate data collection and auditing to ensure consistent integrity of carbon accounting.

We will be publishing soon more scientific findings that we hope will contribute to the overall progress of the space.

Pachama has never shied away from this conversation and we welcome new scientific studies and responsible investigative reporting.

We, together with many other new groups, are working tirelessly for progress in carbon markets because we know the enormous potential of new technologies and the urgent need for carbon sequestration & nature restoration at scale.

We are in a planetary emergency. We must act now.