The practice of offsetting carbon emissions has been long utilized by large corporations, businesses, and individuals alike.
From purchasing carbon credits to making personalized payments to climate change projects in developing countries, carbon offsetting has been viewed as a viable option by many in the battle against global warming.
Today the market is more mainstream and highly regulated however, there is still confusion and a lack of clarity about the best practices.
For example, there is no agreement on how much carbon dioxide a journey may emit, confusion about what actions best reduce emissions etc due to which airlines, airports and giant carbon-greedy corporations use offsetting to sell more flights or get permission to grow even further.
Does paying a carbon offset really reduce (and/or excuse) the impact of private jets on our environment? Or a lack of proper recycling options? Or the purchase of SUVs? Or is it simply assuaging a guilty conscience?
Buying credits to offset a cap is much easier than trying to holistically reduce a company’s GHG emissions.
Agreed that it is not the complete solution, however it does provide much needed aid and resources to third world countries.
What is key to these projects is that “the carbon savings are additional to any savings that might have happened anyway,” and is something certain organizations monitor and adjust.
Reference- The Guardian, Clean Technica