Swiss, Thai groups close first sale of Paris Agreement carbon offsets

A Thai electric bus operator said on Monday it had sold the first carbon offsets under a new system created by the Paris Agreement to a Swiss fossil fuel group, a major landmark for putting into action the eight-year-old United Nations climate accord.
The 2015 Paris Agreement allows for governments and companies to offset some of their greenhouse gas emissions by paying for steps to cut climate pollutants elsewhere. Those offsets are packaged as credits, each equivalent to reducing one metric ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Some environmentalists, however, criticize carbon offsets, saying they allow pollution to continue when the focus should be on eradicating it.