Den 9. april udsendte Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) en pressemeddelelse, hvor der åbnes op for, at virksomheder kan nå deres SBTi-godkendte klimamål via såkaldt klimakompensation, dvs. CO2-reducerende projekter som eksempelvis skovbevaring eller træplantning.
SBTi har tidligere holdt på, at selskabers klimamål hovedsageligt skulle nås via CO2-reduktioner i selve virksomheden eller værdikæden og at brug af klimakompensation kun kunne indgå i klimaregnskabet i yderst begrænset omfang.
Men ifølge pressemeddelelsen er SBTi nu indstillet på at lade klimakompensation fylde mere: “SBTi recognizes that, when properly supported by policies, standards and procedures based on scientific evidence, the use of environmental attribute certificates for abatement purposes (klimakompensation, red.) on Scope 3 emissions could function as an additional tool to tackle climate change.”
Og videre: “Consequently, SBTi has decided to extend their use for the purpose of abatement of Scope 3 related emissions beyond the current limits.”
Udmeldingen skabte øjeblikkeligt ramaskrig blandt klimaaktivister og ngo’er. Eksempelvis udsendte ngo’en Carbon Market Watch en skrivelse den 10. april, hvoraf det blandt andet fremgår: “The Science Based Targets initiative appears to have buckled to pressure from carbon market players and corporate interests to allow companies to meet scope 3 targets with carbon credits, raising the risk that corporations can appear to be improving their climate performance on paper while actually spewing out more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.”
Kritikken kom også fra mere uventet kant. I et brev sendt til SBTi-ledelsen den 11. april udtrykker et flertal af organisationens egne medarbejdere kritik af den nyvundne åbenhed overfor brug af klimakompensation.
“On April 9th 2024, the SBTi Board of Trustees released a statement regarding the use of Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs), including carbon markets, against scope 3 emissions reduction targets. SBTi staff are deeply concerned about the content of the statement and the process by which it was developed and released.”
Kritikken ser umiddelbart ud til at have virket. Den 12. april meddelte SBTi i et tillæg til den oprindelige pressemeddelelse, at der for nuværende ikke er truffet nogle beslutninger om at åbne op for yderligere brug af klimakompensation i selskabers klimaregnskab.
SBTi. Skriver: “No change has been made to SBTi current standards. Any use of EACs for Scope 3 will be informed by evidence. Any change to SBTi standards, including use of EACs for Scope 3, will be conducted according to previously approved SBTi Standard Operating Procedure for developing standards.”
