Perseguindo Unicórnios de Carbono: A Decepção dos Mercados de Carbono e DO “Net Zero”

The document critiques the concept of 'net zero' and the expansion of carbon markets, distinguishing between 'real zero' (immediate emission cuts) and 'false zero' (reliance on offsets). It asserts that fossil fuel emissions cannot be physically offset by natural ecosystems and warns that the drive for 'nature-based solutions' leads to land grabbing and the financialization of nature. The report calls for a coordinated phase-out of fossil fuels and a transition to a just, community-led energy and food system.

• The report distinguishes between 'real zero' and 'false zero' strategies, stating that 'false' strategies rely on carbon offsets to maintain current emission levels, whereas 'real' strategies require emissions to be reduced to zero or as close as possible.
• Carbon offsets do not effectively reduce global atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and are described as a 'smoke screen' to hide inaction.
• There is a fundamental physical mismatch between the fossil carbon cycle and the active biological carbon cycle; fossil emissions are additional to the carbon already circulating in nature and cannot be simply absorbed by planting trees or restoring ecosystems.
• The report claims that the demand for 'nature-based solutions' to meet corporate net zero goals will lead to massive land grabbing and the dispossession of Indigenous peoples, peasants, and local communities, particularly in the Global South.
• Financial institutions and major polluters, such as Shell, Eni, and Total, are accused of using net zero promises to justify continued fossil fuel extraction and production.
• The Task Force on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM) estimates that the need for carbon removals could increase up to 160 times by 2050 if companies rely on offsets rather than emission reductions.
• Geoengineering technologies for negative emissions, such as BECCS and DACCS, are characterized as 'carbon unicorns'—unproven and speculative fantasies that do not provide short-term solutions.
• National 'net zero' targets are criticized as accounting tricks that merge positive fossil emissions and negative land-sector emissions into a single number, obscuring the actual level of fossil fuel use.

APA

Stabinsky, D., Bhatnagar, D., & Shaw, S. (2021). Perseguindo Unicórnios de Carbono: A Decepção dos Mercados de Carbono e DO “Net Zero”. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Amigos-da-terra-internacional-unicornios-de-carbono-portugues.pdf

Chicago

Stabinsky, Doreen, Dipti Bhatnagar, and Sara Shaw. Perseguindo Unicórnios de Carbono: A Decepção dos Mercados de Carbono e DO “Net Zero”. Friends of the Earth International, 2021. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Amigos-da-terra-internacional-unicornios-de-carbono-portugues.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Stabinsky |first1=Doreen |last2=Bhatnagar |first2=Dipti |last3=Shaw |first3=Sara |title=Perseguindo Unicórnios de Carbono: A Decepção dos Mercados de Carbono e DO “Net Zero” |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=February 2021 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Amigos-da-terra-internacional-unicornios-de-carbono-portugues.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stabinsky2021perseguindo, author = {Stabinsky, Doreen and Bhatnagar, Dipti and Shaw, Sara}, title = {{Perseguindo Unicórnios de Carbono: A Decepção dos Mercados de Carbono e DO “Net Zero”}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Amigos-da-terra-internacional-unicornios-de-carbono-portugues.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }