Conflict of interest
A situation in which another interest could influence a person's professional judgement or responsibilities.
Example
A reviewer with a financial stake in the outcome may face a conflict.
The catch
Disclosure helps readers assess the risk but does not always resolve it.
Related terms
Audit trail, Calibration, Carbon neutral, Climate positive, Contribution claim, Environmental claim
In more depth
Conflict of interest, explained.
Conflict of interest is built into the structure of much of the carbon market. Project developers usually choose and pay the bodies that validate and verify their projects, which rewards leniency, and some programmes charge fees on each credit issued, which gives them an interest in volume. Programmes counter those pulls with accreditation, auditor rotation and their own oversight.
Independence has to be shown, so ask who appointed the reviewer, who pays them and whether they have other business with the client. Independent assurance means little if the assurer also built the inventory it is checking. Recusal, in which a conflicted person steps out of the decision, removes the influence more completely than a footnote does.