When cultural political economy meets ‘charismatic carbon’ marketing: a gender-sensitive view on the limitations of Gold Standard cookstove offset projects

Lehmann, Ina
External Publications (2019)

in: Energy Research & Social Science 55 (September), 146-154

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.05.001
Information

Charismatic carbon projects are becoming increasingly popular in the voluntary carbon market. These are carbon offset projects that lend themselves to telling stories about the livelihood benefits they provide for poor people in the Global South in addition to carbon emission savings. I use cultural political economy as a theoretical heuristic to analyse how Gold Standard-certified cookstove carbon offsets are framed as delivering charismatic carbon. Methodologically, this is done through a content analysis of the online visual and textual marketing of 22 Gold Standard-certified cookstove carbon offset projects. I find that the project marketing makes particularly strong claims to improve family livelihoods, income generation and women empowerment, whilst de-politicising the feminist concern with women’s agency. The Gold Standard is one of the major and most well-regarded offsetting standards. Therefore, this research may reveal important limitations in the current and future shape of the wider voluntary carbon market.

About the author

Lehmann, Ina

Political Science

Lehmann

Further experts

Aleksandrova, Mariya

Climate risk governance 

Banerjee, Aparajita

Environmental and Resource Sociology, Public Policy 

Christ, Simone

Social Anthropology 

Dippel, Beatrice

Comparatist 

Dombrowsky, Ines

Economist 

Friesen, Ina

Political Science 

Hein, Jonas

Geography 

Hernandez, Ariel

Economy 

Houdret, Annabelle

Political Scientist 

Jaji, Rose

Anthropology 

Roll, Michael

Sociology 

Schoderer, Mirja

Environmental Research 

Schüpf, Dennis

Economics 

Sowa, Alina

Economics 

Stöcker, Alexander

Economics 

Zintl, Tina

Political Scientist