Our Response to BBC Radio 4 Programme

On 1 and 2 April 2025, BBC Radio 4 aired ​‘The Carbon Offset Trap’ which included a number of allegations about Plan Vivo’s certification process and several of our projects. We strongly refute these claims. 

Plan Vivo is a leading certification system for community and smallholder-led nature-based projects in carbon and biodiversity markets. We are a mission-led organisation, representing a dedicated team and network across the world who are all passionate about delivering positive impact for nature, climate and communities. We believe that the best way to achieve this is through high-integrity, market-based approaches that channel finance to nature-based projects and are truly community and smallholder led. 

Plan Vivo welcomes constructive stakeholder scrutiny to collectively improve this complex market. However, this programme is an example of biased and premeditated journalism, intent on misleading listeners about not only the Plan Vivo process, but also the motivations of Plan Vivo and what we stand for, and calls into question the autonomy of the communities involved. Despite our engagement in good faith with the producers in advance of the programme, significant claims presented were not shared with us in advance. This was despite explicit requests to the production company and BBC editors that we be allowed to respond to all allegations that would be presented in the programme. 

As such, we have now prepared a full rebuttal based on an analysis of this programme, detailing the factually incorrect information and unbalanced reporting that fails to cite key pieces of information that were clearly presented in our response to the producer prior to the broadcast. Alongside raising our concerns through the internal BBC process, we are seeking legal advice on other routes for remediation. 

We welcome constructive scrutiny and debate in this complex and evolving sector, but inaccurate and unbalanced reporting undermines trust, reduces climate action and harms the very communities and ecosystems that urgently need support. Plan Vivo is providing a solution, as are carbon markets. Carbon markets form part of a wider web of solutions, all of which are needed in order to combat the climate and biodiversity crises. Biased and unbalanced reporting is counterintuitive and incredibly short sighted.