The British government is expected to announce today (18 January) a set of standards to which companies offering these services should adhere. In recent months, the UK press fired up the debate by investigating government ministers' flying habits. In December 2006, Prime Minister Tony Blair came under fire for not offsetting a holiday trip to Miami and had to promise to make his future flights carbon-neutral.
The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee decided on 14 December 2006 to launch an inquiry into the voluntary carbon offset market. The committee expressed concerns about issues such as verification, monitoring, permanence of the offset, possible leakage from offset projects and potential for double-counting.
The committee also wants to look into the possibility of a compulsory accreditation scheme at European level.
