Carbon Offsets Daily

have joined hands to form the (ICROA), with the overall objective of strengthening, promoting and lending credibility to the burgeoning market for carbon offsets. The ICROA members have signed up to a new code of best practice towards the fulfillment of its goals. The code requires the member firms to adhere to set standards for measuring carbon footprints and establishing reduction targets, increase transparency, use credible offsets and submit an annual report to demonstrating compliance with the code.

ICROA aims to propagate the "reduce and offset" approach. Jonathan Shopley, ICROA Co-Chair in the United Kingdom said "We encourage our customers to make changes to their daily activities and to complement those direct reductions with the purchase of high-quality offsets."

The founding members of ICROA comprise five UK based firms - , , , and ; two from the US - and and one  Australian firm - . The ICROA will have its headquarters in London.

Many companies, entrepreneurs, and even celebrities are jumping on the carbon-free bandwagon. And even though there are critics of the efficacy of carbon credits, the trend shows no sign of slowing down.

Bloomsberry Chocolates of New Zealand is one of , and even .

The main issue is carbon awareness versus the actual efficacy of carbon-reduction strategies. A portrayed the carbon trading practice as imperfect at best, especially when referring to "€˜additionality" required to receive carbon credits.

Even so, the carbon market will not be deterred, as consumers and traders seem to like the idea of carbon credits, flawed though they may be in actual practice. Another financial project to watch is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which the UN is putting into practice globally€“ .

Because of the disparity in access and distribution in the carbon market, many countries have less access to the burgeoning global carbon market, and serious adaptations can be expected as the market matures.

Today is and this year's slogan is "Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy". Organized each year by the (UNEP) on June 5th, the objective is to spread awareness about environment related issues and initiate political action. The host of World Environment Day 2008 is Wellington, New Zealand.

In keeping with this year's slogan, the UNEP is encouraging countries the world over to cut their greenhouse gas emissions and promoting low-carbon alternatives. The UNEP has compiled a list of and to help us de-carbonize our existence.