SHARM EL SHEIKH: A quartet of protesters briefly interrupted US President Joe Biden's speech at the COP27 summit in Egypt on Friday by howling and trying to unfurl a banner before UN police removed them.
"Carbon offsetting is a false solution," one of them -- apparently an indigenous man from Latin or North America -- shouted as he was escorted away from the venue.
He was referring to a US scheme whereby business can compensate for CO2 pollution by investing in developing world climate projects that reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.
"We are headed toward impended climate collapse, and Jeff Bezos will not save us," the man said.
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The Energy Transition Accelerator carbon offset unveiled by US special climate envoy John Kerry this week in Sharm el-Sheikh is backed by the Rockefeller Fund and the Amazon founder through his Bezos Earth Fund.
The use of so-called voluntary carbon markets to drive down CO2 pollution remains highly controversial, with many analysts saying such difficult-to-monitor practices do not give business a strong enough incentive to reduce their own emissions.
During the 22-minute speech in COP27's packed plenary hall, the climate activists howled like coyotes and were unfurling a banner when UN police stopped them.
It is not known whether the protesters were arrested, escorted out of the conference venue or simply released.
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