1. Verra failed forests
94% of rainforest carbon credits sold by Verra - the largest certifier in the world - have reportedly had zero benefit to the climate.
A bombshell investigation, carried out by The Guardian, German newspaper Die Zeit and non-profit SourceMaterial, revealed in January that Verra's rainforest protection programme simply fails to protect rainforests.
Of 94.9 million credits claimed - with each credit representing a tonne of carbon emissions - just 5.5 million led to actual carbon reductions.Verra has also allegedly exaggerated the threat to the forests it seeks to protect by around 400%, allowing it to pretend it was reducing more harm than it actually was.
The revelations mean dozens of companies that have bought credits from Verra - including Disney, Shell, Gucci, easyJet, and the band Pearl Jam - may not have actually offset their carbon emissions.
Verra has strongly disputed the findings.
