Greenhouse gasses, such as carbon dioxide and methane absorb and emit heat radiation, which contribute to global warming. Human activities such as increased emissions through burning of fossil fuels and deforestation drive this climate threat. International treaties such as the Paris agreement, enables stakeholders to mitigate effects of climate impact and create new sustainable markets. Various carbon offset projects on the voluntary market are an attempt to neutralize climate impact. In this report we identify five main project types for carbon offsets: i) forestry and land use, ii) renewable energy and energy effectivization, iii) transport, iv) waste handling and v) household devices. These project types are evaluated against UNs 17 sustainable development goals. The results show a net positive impact on goal 13, Climate action, for all project types, which is congruent with the focus on carbon offsetting. The results also show that impact varies depending on how the project is deigned. Climate offsetting has enabled multiple stakeholders to contribute to climate change mitigation. Despite many global benefits, carbon offsets have been subject to criticism in cases where the concept is not used as intended. There are currently no clear guidelines as to when focus for companies should shift from internal reduction to external reduction through offsetting. Validation of carbon offsets is another problematic aspect, as there is no one standard for the market to secure the quality of projects.

[pt] O presente trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar e contextualizar o atual cenário do mercado voluntário de carbono no Brasil, para que possa servir como um guia para as empresas brasileiras entenderem sobre esse mercado. Para isso foi feita uma revisão bibliográfica com diversos estudos e publicações de entidades do terceiro setor, bem como relatórios e artigos publicados no Brasil e no mundo, mostrando o surgimento, o contexto e os atuais desafios e pontos de atenção que esse mercado exige. O trabalho mostra que esse é um mercado relativamente novo, mas que já passou por momentos de crise e expansão, e que nos últimos anos, impulsionado por empresas e pessoas físicas querendo compensar suas emissões, movimento que ficou mais conhecido como Net Zero, e em alguns casos carbono neutro, vem apresentando forte crescimento. Por outro lado, ainda pelo pequeno tamanho do mercado, quando comprado com as emissões globais e pela sua natureza de ser voluntário e com relativa facilidade de entrada, tanto no fornecimento do crédito quanto nos compromissos assumidos, diversos desafios se apresentam para esse mercado, que por um lado é facilmente adaptável a diversas realidades, mas que por outro precisa ser crível e mostrar resultados para quem vende, compra e quem consome. As principais conclusões são, que esse mercado tem grande potencial de promover inovações tecnológicas e engajar empresas e pessoas na direção de uma economia de baixo carbono, e que funciona como uma importante ferramenta de transição, e que ele sozinho não consegue fazer com que o mundo caminhe para a neutralidade nas emissões de carbono. / [en] The present work aims to present and contextualize the current scenario of the voluntary carbon market in Brazil, so that it can serve as a guide for Brazilian companies to understand this market. To achieve this, a bibliographic review was conducted using various studies and publications from third-sector entities, as well as reports and articles published in Brazil and in other contries, showing the emergence, context, and current challenges and points of attention that this market demands. The work shows that this is a relatively new market, but it has already gone through periods of crisis and expansion. In recent years, driven by companies and individuals seeking to offset their emissions, a movement known as Net Zero, and in some cases carbon neutral, it has been experiencing strong growth. However, due to the small size of the market compared to global emissions and its voluntary nature with relative ease of entry, both in the supply of credits and in the commitments made, various challenges are presented for this market. On one hand, it is easily adaptable to various realities, but on the other hand, it needs to be credible and show results for those who sell, buy, and consume. The main conclusions are that this market has great potential to promote technological innovations and engage companies and individuals towards a low-carbon economy. It serves as an important transition tool, but alone, it cannot lead the world towards carbon emissions neutrality.