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RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS | POLICY ENGAGEMENT | IN THE NEWS | VOLUNTARY REGISTRY OFFSETS DATABASE | UC OFFSET PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT | LEADERSHIP
The Berkeley Carbon Trading Project at CEPP is a research and outreach program dedicated to studying the effectiveness of carbon trading and offset programs and ensuring that this understanding informs program design.
In this brief moment when avoiding the worst impacts of climate change is still within reach, there is a surge of corporate climate commitments and quickly evolving state, national, and international climate policies that rely heavily on the use of carbon offsets. Carbon offsets allow a business, university, or individual to claim a lower carbon footprint by paying someone else to reduce emissions. Research performed by us and others has found that many offset credits traded on the market today do not represent real emissions reductions. But so far the appeal of purchasing inexpensive offset credits instead of doing the more financially and politically difficult work of decarbonizing has allowed the market to continue largely unchanged.
Our interdisciplinary and multifaceted research and outreach program is focused on one goal—ensuring carbon trading and offsetting programs support rather than undermine effective climate action.
Research & Publications |
Systematic over-crediting in California’s forest carbon offsets program, Grayson Badgley, Jeremy Freeman, Joseph J. Hamman, Barbara Haya, Anna T. Trugman, William R.L. Anderegg, & Danny Cullenward. (under review). DOI:10.1101/2021.04.28.441870
⇒ Paper summary
⇒ Coverage by ProPublica and MIT Technology Review
Managing Uncertainty in Carbon Offsets: Insights from California’s Standardized Approach, Barbara Haya, Danny Cullenward, Aaron L. Strong, Emily Grubert, Robert Heilmayr, Deborah Sivas, & Michael Wara. (2020). Climate Policy, DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2020.1781035.
⇒ Coverage by MIT Technology Review
⇒ Coverage by KQED
The California Air Resources Board’s US Forest offset protocol underestimates leakage, Barbara Haya. (2019). Goldman School of Public Policy Working Paper.
⇒ Coverage by MIT Technology Review
⇒ Coverage by Berkeley News
Carbon Offsets in California: Science in the Policy Development Process, Barbara Haya, Aaron Strong, Emily Grubert, Danny Cullenward. (2016). Book chapter in: In New Trends in Communicating Risk and Resiliency: A Multi-Disciplinary Approach to Global Environmental Change, eds. J. Eichelberger, K. Taylor & Y. Kontar. Springer.
Policy Engagement |
Comment letters
Comments on the May 2021 Public Consultation Report of the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM), submitted June 21,2021
Public comments submitted on ART TREES 2.0, submitted by Barbara Haya and Matthew D. Potts to Winrock April 2, 2021.
Comments on the Initial Recommendations of the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM), submitted to the TSVCM on January 5, 2021.
Comments on ARB’s proposed endorsement of the Tropical Forest Standard: environmental integrity concerns, submitted to the California Air Resources Board on August 29, 2019.
Joint comments on the challenges of monitoring the implementation of California's proposed Tropical Forest Standard, submitted to the California Air Resources Board on August 29, 2019.
Joint comment letter from 110 social and conservation scientists on California’s proposed Tropical Forest Standard (TFS), submitted to the California Air Resources Board on November 14, 2018.
Joint comments submitted to the California Air Resources Board on methods for determining whether offset projects result in Direct Environmental Benefits in the State (DEBS), Submitted July 20, 2018.
Comments submitted to the California Air Resources Board on proposed amendments to the state's cap-and-trade regulation, Submitted May 10, 2018.
Comments submitted to the California Air Resources Board on proposed amendments to the state's cap-and-trade regulation, Submitted Mar. 16, 2018.
Comments submitted to the California Air Resources Board on the state’s draft Climate Change Scoping Plan Update – the proposed strategy for achieving California’s 2030 greenhouse gas target, Submitted Nov. 21, 2016.
Comments submitted to the California Air Resources Board on the state’s proposed REDD program and linkage with Acre, Brazil, Submitted June 4, 2016.
Fact sheets
Fact Sheet: The Size of California’s Carbon Offset Program, last updated June 12, 2018.
Fact Sheet: California’s U.S. Forest Offset Protocol Over-credits Reductions, prepared June 6, 2017.
California’s Carbon Offsets Program — the Offset Limit Explained. This slide deck visually describes California’s offsets limit, and offers the data tables in a separate tab.
Presentations
California’s cap-and-trade and offsets programs – Lessons for Oregon, Presentation to Engineers for a Sustainable Future, co-organized with Center for Sustainable Economy. October 9, 2018. Portland, OR.
In the News |
Our research has been covered by BBC World News, Financial Times, ProPublica, MIT Technology Review, NPR, The Washington Post, Grist, CNN, Wired, LA Times, and other news outlets.
Voluntary Registry Offsets Database |
The Berkeley Carbon Trading Project's Voluntary Registry Offsets Database contains all carbon offset projects and credits issuanced and retired globally by the four major voluntary offset project registries—Climate Action Reserve (CAR), American Carbon Registry (ACR), Verra, and Gold Standard. The database includes projects eligible for use under the California / Quebec linked cap-and-trade programs. We update the database every 2-4 months.
This database increases the transparency of the carbon offset market, providing researchers and offset buyers with the ability to better see the offset credits and projects out there in a single database. Use dynamic charts to see trends over time, and explore the projects and credits on the market by location, type, registry, etc.
Download the database and read commentary on carbon offset trends
Offset Program Development for the University of California |
This project, jointly based at the California Institute for Energy and Environment, is developing the University of California's strategy for procuring offsets that are high quality, support scalable climate solutions, and fulfill the University’s mission of research, education, and public service. The broader goal of this work is to explore, model, and develop methods, resources, and guidelines for how institutions of higher education and major offset buyers can procure high quality offsets aligned with institutional mission.
This project puts research to action, and conducts research through action. We are researching the quality of a range of offset projects and project types on the market and developing methods for performing these analyses for use by the University and other buyers. We also initiated and run an innovative offset program, supporting the University in developing its own offset projects. Each of the University's twelve pilot UC-initiated offset projects grow out of, support, and apply University research; are initiated by University faculty, researchers, students, and staff; and engage students.
Details on the University's developing offset program can be found at the University of California Office of the President offset program website.
Leadership |
Barbara Haya, PhD, Director of the Berkeley Carbon Trading Project, has twenty years of experience performing interdisciplinary research on the outcomes of carbon offset programs and engaging in policy and program outreach.