Episode 17: Carbon Credits – Trading Pollution

Can pollution really be traded like oil, wheat, or gold? In this episode, Kate Foronda takes you inside the complex world of carbon credits — where one ton of emissions becomes a tradable unit on global markets.We’ll explore: How carbon credits work, from cap-and-trade systems in the EU ETS, California, and China, to voluntary offsets verified by standards like Verra and Gold Standard.Real-world examples, including Standard Chartered’s forest credit deal in Brazil’s Acre state, cookstove projects in Kenya and Uganda, Shell’s forestry offsets in Peru, and Delta Airlines’ offsets in Liberia. The speculative side of carbon markets: hedge funds bundling credits, and crypto experiments like the Toucan Protocol and KlimaDAO, which collapsed when low-quality credits flooded the system.Updates from NYC Climate Week 2025, where initiatives like the Carbon Data Open Protocol (CDOP) and VCM+ coalition aim to bring integrity and standardization to these markets.Why critics call the system “carbon colonialism” — with the Global South supplying offsets while corporations in the Global North keep emitting.From phantom forests to blockchain tokens, carbon credits show both the Circuit — a structured market that could finance real climate solutions — and the Circus — speculation, greenwashing, and global inequity.Listen now! 🎧@Katsiaryna (Kate) Foronda foronda.us Tune in now to discover what’s ahead in the Circus & Circuit of global trade!