Join SFI’s monthly seminar on the third or fourth Thursday of the month from 4:00 - 5:00 pm PT to meet our faculty and fellows and learn more about our ongoing research projects. We’ll cover innovative policy and financial mechanisms designed to rapidly decarbonize the global economy.

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Markets for carbon trading function poorly, and many traded offsets do not actually perform as promised. Without robust protocols for monitoring offsets and in the absence of proper accounting mechanisms, market-based approaches to reducing atmospheric GHG will be vulnerable to misrepresentation and fraud.

In this seminar on Thursday, November 16, Marc Roston, Senior Research Scholar at Stanford's Sustainable Finance Initiative, will present an accounting framework based on five core principles. The first two define what can and cannot be counted as an offset and what may or may not be traded. The remaining principles set out basic accounting guidelines for offsets. Together they provide the foundation for a well-functioning market that accelerates innovation and deployment of improved offsetting technologies, leading to atmospheric decarbonization.

Recommended Readings

• Accounting for Carbon Offsets
• A Game Plan for Funding Carbon Offsets
• Visit SFI's Carbon Accounting and Emissions Liability Management page for more readings.

Open to all members of the Stanford community. RSVP requested but not required for in-person attendees. RSVP required for Zoom access.