A proposed change to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol could let timber and paper companies count climate-driven forest growth as carbon removal, even as they harvest and burn trees. The method, called managed land proxy 'plus', would credit companies for absorption they did not cause and ignore emissions from harvesting. Critics say it is physically backwards and would make more cutting look better for the climate. The proposal emerged from a technical working group split between two methods. The other, activity-based accounting, ties emissions to land management actions. The Protocol faces pressure from industry funders like Weyerhaeuser and IKEA, and its standards are being adopted into law in California and the EU. Two independent scientists resigned in protest. The final decision could shape corporate net-zero claims for years.
