Craig Ebert, managing director of ICF’s climate and environmental strategy, and Alexandre Marty, manager of ICF’s climate change activities in London, discuss ICF International's new study of the small but maturing market for voluntary carbon offsets and assess the impediments affecting growth in the market. The Voluntary Carbon Offsets Market Outlook also examines the impact of some of the emerging international standards and verification protocols and presents scenarios outlining how the market may evolve to 2012.

View Webcast (broadcast requires Microsoft Windows Media Player ) ICF Reports More Companies Offsetting GHG Emissions, Upping Stakes for Corporate Action on Climate Change Voluntary Carbon Offsets Market Outlook Report Outline Executive Summary Subscription Form

More and more high-profile companies are voluntarily offsetting their greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions, upping the ante for corporate action on climate change. This rising demand for voluntary offsets is supporting explosive but highly fragmented growth in the supply of carbon offsets. Offset buyers and sellers face a complex, unregulated, and nontransparent market rife with risks and uncertainties. ICF
International offers an in-depth analysis of the opportunities, players, trends, and barriers characterizing the voluntary carbon offset market now and in the future.

The voluntary carbon market has recently been in the spotlight attracting attention from the media, U.S. Congress, major multinational corporations, and individuals. Critics have noted the lack of quality of certain projects from which offsets are sought and the concern offsetting is “an easy way out” from taking real action. Notwithstanding the controversies, the voluntary carbon market saw more companies going carbon neutral, more carbon free products offered, and more service providers created, especially in the U.S. and the UK. Many new labels, standards, and greenhouse gas registries were launched in 2007.

This resulted in an increased diversification of carbon offset prices as the relationship between the compliance and voluntary carbon market becomes more complex. This update includes our proprietary analysis of market fundamentals and lessons learned from consulting experiences with carbon offset buyers and sellers. It sheds light on what is driving this market, its key players, and the barriers standing in the way of its continued growth.

Mr. Ebert is a Managing Director in ICF's Climate Strategy Practice, which supports commercial and public clients internationally on strategic management of the risks and opportunities posed by climate change and attendant impacts on shareholder value. Over the last twenty years, he has managed ICF's work on climate change, which now exceeds US$30 million annually and includes operations in the U.S., Canada, UK, Russia, India, and Brazil, covering expertise for all emission source categories, including energy, industrial, agricultural, and forestry activities. Strategic services include greenhouse gas (GHG) estimation protocols and analysis of emission mitigation options, analytical support on emerging climate change policies, and design and implementation of strategies to minimize corporate exposure to potential emission reduction requirements.

Mr. Ebert has worked for a wide variety of public and private clients, including most recently Yahoo!, BP, Exelon, Duke, Fidelity, TransCanada, El Paso, World Bank, Lafarge, Repsol, Aracruz, and Petrobras. His support includes assessing the cost and availability of various offset classes for different public and private sector clients and helping clients unlock the financial value of climate-related actions in both voluntary and compliance markets. His work has encompassed evaluation of market-based mechanisms, including cap-and-trade options. He has also examined various multi-sectoral policies, including options to include the power, industrial, and transportation sectors in a cap-and-trade system.

Mr. Marty has more than seven years of experience in climate change and sustainability business areas and has worked with governments and leading companies on greenhouse gas emissions, carbon markets, and sustainability reporting and assurance. He assists European companies in building their climate change policy and programs and defines cost-effective carbon market strategies. Before joining ICF, he worked within the Paris-based Environmental and Sustainability practices of PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte. He holds a degree in environmental engineering and agriculture from Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaires in Nancy, France.

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