The minute
- German authorities revoked credits from 30 Chinese upstream emissions reduction (UER) projects, out of 45 under investigation, totaling 2.1 million tonnes of claimed CO2 reductions
- The investigation found legal and technical inconsistencies, projects that started too early, and allegations that Chinese company Beijing Karbon created “the appearance of legitimacy” through deception
- A Belgian ExxonMobil unit backed one of the revoked projects, claiming nearly 96,000 tonnes of reductions valued at about €4.2 million
Why it matters
Germany ended recognition of these certificates through 2025 and is adding stronger on-site inspection with international legal support going forward, signaling other compliance markets may tighten verification of Chinese projects in a similar way.
ExxonMobil said it “operates in line with legal requirements” and that the investigation focuses on the projects themselves, not on its good-faith purchase, but the case still leaves the company needing to replace the invalidated credit with a costlier one to meet its compliance obligation. via Carbon Credits
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