Webinar on Demand: How To Investigate the Carbon Market in Africa

In a virtual webinar, Pulitzer Center Rainforest Investigations Fellow Elodie Toto, Center grantee Desné Masie, and journalist Josh Gabbatiss shared tips on investigating the carbon market in Africa.

Carbon markets are pricing mechanisms that enable governments and non-state actors to trade greenhouse gas emission credits.

There are two kinds: voluntary markets, where companies, governments, and non-governmental organizations can buy and sell credits in a decentralized market, and compliance markets, which are governed by laws and regulations framed by governments.

During the webinar, Gabbatiss, a climate and energy correspondent for the website Carbon Brief, elaborated on the 2023 Carbon Brief investigative series Carbon Offsets. Gabbatiss’ work focuses on the voluntary offset market. In his presentation, he detailed the methods he used to determine to what extent companies relied on carbon offsets and the source and reliability of those offsets.

Masie, who's also an economist, presented findings from her project What Is the Journey of a Carbon Credit? It was an investigation tracing a single credit in the carbon offset market. Masie gave behind-the-scenes insights on her project and the strategies she used to investigate the voluntary offset market.

Toto presented her project The Sangha and Likouala Forest: Between Carbon Credits and Illegal Gold Mining, which investigated the complexities of government oversight of the REDD+ projects in the Congo and the unchecked deforestation and illegal gold mining in the region. Toto elaborated on her on-the-ground reporting that uncovered the stories of the Indigenous communities most affected by the extractive industry.

The webinar concluded with a Q&A moderated by Fernanda Buffa, a Pulitzer Center program coordinator and research assistant. The panelists answered questions from the audience about their work and experience with climate reporting.

Watch the webinar above and click here to read more stories on the industries affecting the world’s climate.