The unequal exchange of carbon : calculating value appropriation and atmospheric colonisation through carbon offsetting
(2025) In New Political Economy- Abstract
Despite a flurry of critical analyses discussing its controversial track record in terms of effectiveness and social feasibility, carbon offsetting remains one of the key mechanisms within global climate governance. We address an understudied dimension of the offsetting paradigm, with a focus on the voluntary carbon market and nature-based ‘solutions’, to inquire whether carbon trading constitutes a form of unequal ecological and economic exchange. We quantify the global unequal exchange through carbon credits. To ground our hypotheses, we analyse the carbon trading landscape of Colombia and offer a country-specific quantification of value plunder through carbon commodity chains. We find that, only through voluntary carbon markets,... (More)
Despite a flurry of critical analyses discussing its controversial track record in terms of effectiveness and social feasibility, carbon offsetting remains one of the key mechanisms within global climate governance. We address an understudied dimension of the offsetting paradigm, with a focus on the voluntary carbon market and nature-based ‘solutions’, to inquire whether carbon trading constitutes a form of unequal ecological and economic exchange. We quantify the global unequal exchange through carbon credits. To ground our hypotheses, we analyse the carbon trading landscape of Colombia and offer a country-specific quantification of value plunder through carbon commodity chains. We find that, only through voluntary carbon markets, wealthy countries appropriated 4 billion USD in 4 years from the Global South, whereas the value drain from Colombia is estimated at 200 million USD. We also highlight further value leakage through both formal and informal carbon brokers.
(Less)
- author
- Rizzi, Andrea and Krause, Torsten LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- Colombia, commodity chains, nature-based solutions, unequal exchange, Voluntary carbon markets
- in
- New Political Economy
- publisher
- Routledge
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105018808596
- ISSN
- 1356-3467
- DOI
- 10.1080/13563467.2025.2572047
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
- id
- 7394e7d0-ad6f-4eb8-b6a6-a32e0924aaa4
- date added to LUP
- 2026-01-22 14:34:01
- date last changed
- 2026-01-22 14:35:05
@article{7394e7d0-ad6f-4eb8-b6a6-a32e0924aaa4,
abstract = {{<p>Despite a flurry of critical analyses discussing its controversial track record in terms of effectiveness and social feasibility, carbon offsetting remains one of the key mechanisms within global climate governance. We address an understudied dimension of the offsetting paradigm, with a focus on the voluntary carbon market and nature-based ‘solutions’, to inquire whether carbon trading constitutes a form of unequal ecological and economic exchange. We quantify the global unequal exchange through carbon credits. To ground our hypotheses, we analyse the carbon trading landscape of Colombia and offer a country-specific quantification of value plunder through carbon commodity chains. We find that, only through voluntary carbon markets, wealthy countries appropriated 4 billion USD in 4 years from the Global South, whereas the value drain from Colombia is estimated at 200 million USD. We also highlight further value leakage through both formal and informal carbon brokers.</p>}},
author = {{Rizzi, Andrea and Krause, Torsten}},
issn = {{1356-3467}},
keywords = {{Colombia; commodity chains; nature-based solutions; unequal exchange; Voluntary carbon markets}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Routledge}},
series = {{New Political Economy}},
title = {{The unequal exchange of carbon : calculating value appropriation and atmospheric colonisation through carbon offsetting}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13563467.2025.2572047}},
doi = {{10.1080/13563467.2025.2572047}},
year = {{2025}},
}