WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rita Hite, president and CEO at the American Forest Foundation (AFF), released the following statement in response to new findings released by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) regarding potential changes to their corporate guidance for use of carbon credits to address Scope 3 emissions:  

“We need to use every available tool to mitigate the impacts of climate change now, including the voluntary carbon market. Carbon credits alone are not enough to solve the climate crisis, but they are a crucial element that we can activate today – with high integrity – to reduce hard-to-abate corporate emissions that will otherwise go unchecked. We were hoping SBTi would signal to corporations, family forest owners, and the countless others ready to activate the power of forests and nature to generate carbon credits to reduce emissions in this decade. Unfortunately, SBTi’s findings today did not provide the clear guidance we need. While a revised standard that includes carbon credits in value chain mitigation would encourage private investment in nature, we can’t wait around for SBTi when we know the path forward is clear. It’s on the rest of us – corporations and family forest owners alike – who are taking voluntary action with high integrity so the atmosphere, our forests, and the communities on the front lines can begin to feel the difference.”

The American Forest Foundation recently submitted a joint letter to SBTi in support of including carbon credit usage in companies’ value chain emissions mitigation.  

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CONTACT: Kristen Voorhees, Communications Director, media@forestfoundation.org

About The American Forest Foundation 

The American Forest Foundation is a national conservation organization that empowers family forest owners to make meaningful conservation impact. The organization’s flagship program, the Family Forest Carbon Program, helps landowners implement forest management practices to protect the health of their woodlands and help the planet. To learn more about the American Forest Foundation and the Family Forest Carbon Program, visit www.forestfoundation.org/carbon.