Recently, the Guardian published the findings of an investigation that claimed that more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by Verra (the world’s leading carbon crediting programme) are essentially, valueless. The claim has profound implications for the large corporations (including Shell, Disney, Salesforce, Gucci, and BHP) who have purchased these credits as part of their net zero strategies and other climate goals. Verra vehemently denies these claims; however, the Guardian’s findings have rattled the sustainability industry and contributed to a long-standing debate on the integrity of the carbon market.

“We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.”- UN chief Antonio Guterres speaking at COP27. The impacts of human caused global warming are being experienced now! Beyond the immediate damage caused by droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events, secondary impacts include the displacement of entire communities, food shortages, and the exacerbation of geo-political risks. Industry and fossil fuels are the largest contributors to climate change. Putting the brakes on the extractives industry and working to reduce ecological footprints is simply not enough; we must also get carbon out of the atmosphere and restore resources by regenerating and enhancing ecosystems. Enter regenerative business models.

November 20th is the date of one of the most important sports events, allowing countries “to put their best foot forward” in football. Qatar, the 2022 FWC host, has boasted of being “the first carbon-neutral sports event in history,” a claim that has many climate change observers and specialists reeling. A total of 32 international teams will play for four weeks, and as many as 1.5 million fans are expected to attend.

A CBS article from March 4 of last year claimed: “Right now our planet is in the midst of what science says is an unprecedented rate of change, unlike anything seen in tens of millions of years.” Time is obviously not on our side.

Xilva celebrates its first anniversary this week, and it’s been an incredible journey so far. Our team came together from day one with a shared passion for solving the dual challenges of climate change and nature loss. And when we look back on the past year, there’s a lot to be grateful for and excited about. Here we share a few highlights in the words of some of the members of the Xilva team.