In connection with suspected cases of fraud in China, the Federal Environment Agency wants to stop 45 climate projects. “Our goal is to reverse all 45 suspicious China projects,” explained the head of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Dirk Messner, at a digital press conference.
“We do not assume that a significant or even a small proportion of these 45 projects could be in order,” he continued. The projects are under “very strong suspicion of fraud.” It is probably a “deceptive contract system” in which projects are registered that do not meet the stated requirements, such as reducing greenhouse gases, it was explained.
His agency has now thoroughly investigated 56 climate projects in China and can present this interim report, Messner continued. The investigations, in which both the Berlin public prosecutor’s office and an international law firm are involved, will continue. The ZDF format “Frontal” also reported on the dimension last week, citing the lawyer Christian Schefold commissioned by the UBA.
45 of 66 China projects now suspected of fraud
The background to the reviews, which have been ongoing for weeks, is a suspected network of fraud in connection with climate projects in China. As was revealed in June, German mineral oil companies may have had a contribution credited to their CO2 balances that was based on climate protection projects that, according to the UBA, may have been the result of fraud. At least 45 of 66 projects in China are now suspected of irregularities. A report by the Federal Environment Ministry in July of this year initially mentioned 69 projects. However, this number is not correct; the UBA is currently reviewing a total of 66 projects in China and 75 projects worldwide, as a spokesperson clarified in response to a query from dpa.
Messner explained that the 45 projects comprise climate certificates worth a total of six million tons of CO2 equivalents. According to UBA figures, this corresponds to a market value of 1.5 billion euros. However, only four of these six million tons, which companies have already partially offset against their climate balance sheet on the basis of these projects, could be reversed and saved. Consequently, the fraud has so far caused material damage of around 500 million euros in relation to the certificates issued.
Criticism of the investigation – UBA defends itself
The Union, among others, is criticizing the Federal Environment Agency’s investigation into the alleged fraud cases. It accuses the UBA and Steffi Lemke’s (Greens) Ministry of the Environment of having reacted too late to the fraud. According to the UBA, there were initial indications of individual cases in September 2023, which the agency was investigating. At first it was “one man’s word against another’s” and the “anonymous whistleblowers” were not trustworthy from the start. The UBA initially did not provide more specific data on suspected companies and individuals, citing the ongoing investigations.
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