A window into what we’re reading at the Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program 

“Intractable” systemic problems mean carbon offsets fail to cut global heating  (The Guardian) 

A recent review of 25 years of evidence found that carbon credit quality issues stem from deep-seated structural flaws, and not isolated cases of fraud. Researchers point to four major flaws that undermine most carbon offset projects. The worst problems include issuing credits for already-planned projects, impermanent solutions (forests that later burn), incidences of leakage (such as protecting one forest area while pushing logging elsewhere), and double-counting which allows both seller and buyer to claim the same emission reduction.  

As a result, the new study reveals that less than 16% of carbon credits they investigated showed real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It calls for urgently eliminating offsets that don’t actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere and shifting focus to high-quality carbon dioxide removal and storage. 

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Floating Schools Offer Pathways for Students in Bangladesh’s Flood Plains (Reuters)  

In the flood-prone Chalan Beel wetland region of western Bangladesh, over 100 boats equipped with benches, blackboards, bookshelves, and solar panels serve as mobile classrooms that navigate directly to students’ doorsteps. The program, run by non-profit Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha, has educated over 22,000 students and currently serves 2,240 pupils across 26 boat schools in the Chalan Beel area alone

During severe flooding, these vessels double as emergency shelters for displaced families. The fleet of over 100 boats also functions as libraries and mobile health clinics. Teachers navigate narrow waterways to collect students for three-hour classes, providing educational opportunities to children whose parents often never had the chance to study, thereby offering hope for social mobility in communities regularly cut off by water. 

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Renewables Surpass Coal for First Time In First Six Months of 2025 (The Guardian) 

A new report by renewable energy thinktank Ember found that renewable energy generation global demand for electricity in the first half of 2025 had led to a decline in coal and gas use. Approximately 83% of global increases in electricity demand were met with renewables as solar and wind power generation grew by 33% and 7%, respectively.  

China and India were largely responsible for the spike in renewables, while the US and Europe relied more heavily on fossil fuels. China added more renewable energy than the rest of the world, reducing fossil fuel use by 2%. During the same period, demand for electricity in the US outpaced renewable power generation, leading to a 17% increase in coal generation. 

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