Climate Change Committee Carbon Offsetting Consultation Analysis

Dive into how MCC Economics partnered with the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) to deliver a comprehensive analysis of responses to the Committee’s Call for Evidence on Voluntary Carbon Offsetting. Through detailed thematic coding, evidence evaluation, and cross-market comparison, MCC’s expert team distilled insights that informed the CCC’s 2022 publication, advancing understanding of carbon markets, their risks, and the pathways to integrity and transparency in offsetting.

What the Client Needed?

In early 2022, CCC sought analytical expertise to process over 50 stakeholder submissions from its Call for Evidence on Carbon Offsetting, encompassing responses from NGOs, businesses, government bodies, and research institutions. They required robust analytical support to synthesise stakeholder responses on the UK’s voluntary carbon offset market, identify risks and opportunities associated with offset use, evaluate evidence quality to guide policy recommendations on carbon market integrity and summarise insights across 13 complex consultation questions spanning regulation, finance, monitoring, and transparency.

How we Helped them?

Call for Evidence of Offsets

Our Approach and Methodology

1. Structured Thematic Coding

MCC developed a comprehensive coding framework to categorise over 50 responses from varied sectors, ensuring analytical consistency and uncovering common themes across data points.

2. Evidence Strength and Quality Assessment

Each submission was systematically reviewed for relevance, depth, and credibility. MCC applied a three-dimensional framework assessing evidence type, source robustness, and alignment with key policy questions.

3. Integration of Multi-Channel Data

Responses were consolidated from both CCC’s online portal and email submissions, ensuring no data was excluded. This created a single, centralised dataset - the foundation for a transparent and replicable analysis process.

4. Identification of Market Gaps

MCC’s analysis uncovered significant data and governance gaps - including a lack of price transparency, inconsistent credit registries, and limited visibility into project ownership and quality assurance.
These findings directly supported CCC’s recognition of the need for stronger market integrity and regulatory frameworks.

5. Comparative Market Insights: UK vs Global

The report contrasted the UK’s emerging voluntary carbon market with established international systems (e.g., Verra, Gold Standard, REDD+). It identified differences in standards, monitoring rigor, and land-use implications - particularly in peatland versus forestry-based offsets.

6. Policy-Aligned Reporting

MCC delivered structured summaries addressing 13 questions across topics such as:

  • Market regulation and standardisation
  • Harnessing private finance for climate goals
  • Corporate transparency and offset credibility
  • Integration with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement

Each summary provided balanced, evidence-based insights to support CCC’s policymaking and communication efforts.

7. Balanced View of Risks and Opportunities

MCC identified both market vulnerabilities, such as greenwashing, double counting, and weak monitoring and emerging opportunities, including private finance mobilisation, biodiversity enhancement, and scalable net-zero solutions.

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Results Delivered

✅ Comprehensive stakeholder analysis across 56 respondents
✅ Transparent, replicable analytical framework for consultation evidence
✅ Identification of data gaps and policy-relevant insights
✅ Publication of findings in CCC’s official report
✅ Contribution to the UK’s evolving carbon offset governance approach

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I was delighted that MCC's work was completed on time, and within budget, helping us deliver important changes and improvements, to the benefit of our stakeholders. ​ MCC's report is published on the CCC website.

- Bea Natzler
Team Leader at Climate Change Committee, UK

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- Gordon Hutcheson ​
Head of Nuclear Policy at Ofgem, UK

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Section Head at Department of Energy, Abu Dhabi

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Director at Utility Regulator, Northern Ireland

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MCC Economics provides consultation analysis that stands up to detailed examination and supports effective policy development. Our experience across sectors and consultation types means we understand both the analytical and institutional challenges involved. If you would like to discuss upcoming work, we are happy to outline how our approach can support your requirements.

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