Sept 13 (Reuters) – The South American forest nation of Suriname plans to become the first country to sell carbon credits under a system set up by the 2015 U.N. Paris Agreement to help curb climate change, an adviser on the sale told Reuters.
The prospective sale is a bid to attract investors with government-backed carbon credits that follow U.N. guidelines, as companies grow wary of buying from private initiatives in the voluntary carbon market after studies found several projects failed to deliver promised climate contributions.
“This is the first signal of whether the Paris Agreement is actually working,” Kevin Conrad, executive director of the Coalition of Rainforest Nations, told Reuters in an interview. Suriname is a member of the coalition, and Conrad is advising on the sale.
The sale is divisive among carbon market experts. Some say that selling credits from places like Suriname could bring needed financing to developing countries. Others have expressed concern that the credits might not represent legitimate actions to limit global warming.
“This is the first signal of whether the Paris Agreement is actually working,” Kevin Conrad, executive director of the Coalition of Rainforest Nations, told Reuters in an interview. Suriname is a member of the coalition, and Conrad is advising on the sale.
The sale is divisive among carbon market experts. Some say that selling credits from places like Suriname could bring needed financing to developing countries. Others have expressed concern that the credits might not represent legitimate actions to limit global warming.
