Three New Papers in Nature Journals

Research published in Nature Sustainability reveals that the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism would capture only 50-60% of production emissions for chemicals like ethylene and polyethylene, leaving significant upstream emissions unpriced. The study recommends expanding CBAM to include fossil feedstocks and implementing high fallback default values to improve emission tracking accuracy.

A Nature Communications study analyzing 89 multinational companies found no significant relationship between carbon credit purchases and improved climate performance. While these companies retired one-fourth of all carbon credits in 2022, their offsetting expenditures averaged only 1% of capital expenditures.

A Nature Comment piece critically examines the role of carbon offsets in compliance markets. Research shows fewer than 16% of offset projects deliver their claimed reductions, with low-quality offsets artificially depressing carbon prices and weakening the effectiveness of carbon-pricing schemes.