Climate claims

Scores of environmental groups issued a joint appeal yesterday for the European Union to drop “fantasy” carbon removal methods from its climate plans, arguing some of them rely on untested technology while others may not absorb as many greenhouse gas emissions as claimed. The EU’s Executive Commission has proposed creating a system for certifying so-called offsets — carbon absorbed through nature or with technological means — which could then be bought by polluters to reduce their emissions balance. But 170 groups including Friends of the Earth, Corporate Accountability and the Centre for International Environmental Law argue plans to