- Cavs get 17th win as Celtics edge T-Wolves and Heat burn in OT
- Asian markets begin week on front foot, bitcoin rally stutters
- IOC chief hopeful Sebastian Coe: 'We run risk of losing women's sport'
- K-pop fans take aim at CD, merchandise waste
- Notre Dame inspired Americans' love and help after fire
- Court hearing as parent-killing Menendez brothers bid for freedom
- Closing arguments coming in US-Google antitrust trial on ad tech
- Galaxy hit Minnesota for six, Orlando end Atlanta run
- Left-wing candidate Orsi wins Uruguay presidential election
- High stakes as Bayern host PSG amid European wobbles
- Australia's most decorated Olympian McKeon retires from swimming
- Far-right candidate surprises in Romania elections, setting up run-off with PM
- Left-wing candidate Orsi projected to win Uruguay election
- UAE arrests three after Israeli rabbi killed
- Five days after Bruins firing, Montgomery named NHL Blues coach
- Orlando beat Atlanta in MLS playoffs to set up Red Bulls clash
- American McNealy takes first PGA title with closing birdie
- Sampaoli beaten on Rennes debut as angry fans disrupt Nantes loss
- Chiefs edge Panthers, Lions rip Colts as Dallas stuns Washington
- Uruguayans vote in tight race for president
- Thailand's Jeeno wins LPGA Tour Championship
- 'Crucial week': make-or-break plastic pollution treaty talks begin
- Israel, Hezbollah in heavy exchanges of fire despite EU ceasefire call
- Amorim predicts Man Utd pain as he faces up to huge task
- Basel backs splashing the cash to host Eurovision
- Petrol industry embraces plastics while navigating energy shift
- Italy Davis Cup winner Sinner 'heartbroken' over doping accusations
- Romania PM fends off far-right challenge in presidential first round
- Japan coach Jones abused by 'some clown' on Twickenham return
- Springbok Du Toit named World Player of the Year for second time
- Iran says will hold nuclear talks with France, Germany, UK on Friday
- Mbappe on target as Real Madrid cruise to Leganes win
- Sampaoli beaten on Rennes debut as fans disrupt Nantes loss
- Israel records 250 launches from Lebanon as Hezbollah targets Tel Aviv, south
- Australia coach Schmidt still positive about Lions after Scotland loss
- Man Utd 'confused' and 'afraid' as Ipswich hold Amorim to debut draw
- Sinner completes year to remember as Italy retain Davis Cup
- Climate finance's 'new era' shows new political realities
- Lukaku keeps Napoli top of Serie A with Roma winner
- Man Utd held by Ipswich in Amorim's first match in charge
- 'Gladiator II', 'Wicked' battle for N. American box office honors
- England thrash Japan 59-14 to snap five-match losing streak
- S.Africa's Breyten Breytenbach, writer and anti-apartheid activist
- Concern as climate talks stalls on fossil fuels pledge
- Breyten Breytenbach, writer who challenged apartheid, dies at 85
- Tuipulotu try helps Scotland end Australia's bid for Grand Slam
- Truce called after 82 killed in Pakistan sectarian clashes
- Salah wants Liverpool to pile on misery for Man City after sinking Saints
- Berrettini takes Italy to brink of Davis Cup defence
- Lille condemn Sampaoli to defeat on Rennes debut
Corporate climate pledge weakened by carbon offsets move
The world's main benchmark for vetting corporate climate action has been accused by its own staff of "greenwashing" after allowing businesses to use carbon credits to offset pollution from their value chains.
The ruling by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) was slammed as a "coup" on Thursday and has sparked a revolt by staff who want the decision reversed and the non-profit's CEO and board to resign.
Experts say it could irreversibly damage the credibility of the SBTi, which is partnered with the UN Global Compact and WWF, and is the gold standard for assessing the net zero plans of big business.
An internal letter sent to SBTi leadership, and seen by AFP, said the board's decision was taken without adequate consultation, defied science, and "resulted in significant harm to our organisation’s reputation and viability.
"We stand ready to support any efforts aimed at ensuring that the SBTi does not become a greenwashing platform where decisions are unduly influenced by lobbyists, driven by potential conflicts of interest and poor adherence to existing governance procedures," read the letter to SBTi's CEO and Board of Trustees.
"In the event that our concerns are not addressed, SBTi staff will have no choice but to take further action," it added, without elaborating on what that would mean.
It was signed by staff from "the Target Validation Team, Target Operations Team, the Technical Department, Communications, Impact and IT, and multiple department heads."
Comment has been sought from SBTi and the We Mean Business Coalition, one of its main partners.
- 'Extremely serious' -
On April 9, SBTi issued a statement rolling back its previous opposition to the use of carbon credits to offset Scope 3 emissions.
These occur in the value chain, and represents the lion's share of the carbon footprints -- in some cases more than 90 percent -- of most companies.
Carbon credits are generated by projects that reduce or avoid emissions -- like renewable energy, tree planting and forest protection -- and sold to companies wanting to offset pollution from their activities.
But critics say offsets give corporations a free pass to keep polluting without cleaning-up their act, and their usage to make claims of "carbon neutrality" has become increasingly contentious.
Gilles Dufrasne from Carbon Market Watch, who sits on the technical advisory group to SBTi, said allowing their usage by companies represented a "fundamental U-turn on SBTi policy so far".
"It is pretty much a coup from the board," he told AFP, adding at least one member of the advisory group had resigned in protest.
"It's extremely serious, I've never seen anything like it."
Verification by SBTi allows companies to say their climate plans align with science and the goals of the Paris agreement to limit global warming.
More than 4,000 companies and financial institutions have sought to have their net zero claims verified by SBTi, the nonprofit said.
Dufrasne said the decision was "extremely damaging" to corporate climate responsibility because it sent a signal that companies could just pay someone else if they can't meet their own targets.
"I'm not sure if SBTi's credibility can survive this," he said.
L.Dubois--BTB