Carbon Offsets: A License to Pollute?

What’s not to love about Carbon Offsets? They’re an easy, affordable way for people and companies to reduce our carbon footprint while the world figures out how to sustain itself.  

Say, for example, I’d like to fly business class from Boston to Buenos Aires. If I fly business class, I’d generate 5.4 tons (11,880 pounds) of CO2e. For just $70, I could offset all that carbon. How awesome is that? Muy bien!

U.S. businesses and consumers are racing to offset their emissions and offer customers the option of paying a small fee to “offset” their purchase. It seems you really can have your rainforest-grazed beef burger and eat it, too. 

The good news is that consumers care about carbon. They’re willing to pay more for more sustainable products, and they’re willing to buy offsets for their purchases. There’s so much demand that the offset market is predicted to grow to $100B by 2030 in the U.S. alone. 

All those offsets must have a huge impact, right? 

That’s where things get murkier than the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon spill. 

Recent and ongoing research which calls into serious doubt whether the promised offsets are cutting the carbon they claim to be removing. A 2023 report by The Guardian reported that up to 90% of the projects certified by Verra, the world’s largest carbon offset certifier, fail to cut the amount of carbon as certified. In many instances, the offsets make the problem worse.  

Yet many of our largest businesses such as airlines, fast fashion and, of course, energy companies tout their “climate-friendly” initiatives such as aims to be carbon neutral, net zero, etc. But if they’re relying on carbon offsets to reach their goals (they are), are they really carbon neutral? What they’re really buying is plausible deniability. 

Here’s where common sense comes in. As long as we keep pumping more CO2e into the atmosphere than it can absorb, the Earth will continue to warm. Thanks to purchased offsets, we might plant lots of trees, prevent some deforestation, and invent cool gadgets that trap the methane from farting and belching cows—which is awesome—but if we humans don’t slash our fossil fuel consumption faster than a billionaire’s rocketship to outer space, we might as well use those offset certificates to write an apology letter to our great grandchildren explaining how we were bamboozled by the battle cry of the economists (a healthy economy today trumps a sick planet tomorrow!), lured by the convenience of cheap, disposable goods, and dazzled by the false promise of faraway (but not-yet-invented) technological solutions.  

Offsets aren’t inherently bad; they’re just not a solution. There are lots of concerned, committed people working to make a difference in the organizations selling offsets. But let’s be clear: if cutting fossil fuel consumption is the entree, offsets are the condiment. We can’t sustain ourselves on mustard alone. 

The good news is there are far better ways to make a difference than offsets. Instead of paying third parties to verify projects and provide us with glossy certificates of all the carbon we’re responsible for sequestering, we can directly support (or start!) projects that make the world a greener place. 

Carbon credits are the diet soda ordered to go with your super-sized fast food meal. If you eat enough fast food, your waistline will continue to grow regardless of how much Coke Zero (™) you drink. None of us are above the necessity of reducing our individual carbon footprint and demanding sustainability with our dollars, our votes, our voices, and our daily actions. One person living sustainably may not seem revolutionary, but when enough of us model how easy, affordable, and fun it is to live sustainably, the veneer of the impossible will fade into the sheen of what’s possible. Sustainability isn’t something bought; it’s something achieved. 

The Challenge: Decide what you’re most passionate about and how you can get involved in some small (or big) way. Find that one thing that most excites you and take some action! Do you want to slash your own carbon footprint? Advocate for environmental justice? Help your town or city negotiate greener options with your utility company? Whatever it is, figure out how you can take action—donate money, time, resources. Then be sure to share your success with your friends and family. 

Here are some ways to direct your time, attention, and dollars towards solutions that matter: 

• Environmental Justice

• Earthjustice -Because the Earth needs a good lawyer. 

• Citizens' Climate Lobby - The CCL empowers everyday people to work together on climate policy.

• Carbon removal technologies

• Carbon 180 - A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to build “the carbon removal field and using federal policy to reverse two centuries of carbon emissions.”

• Conservation / Reforestation/ prevention of forest lost 

• Jane Goodall Institute - “By protecting chimpanzees and inspiring people to conserve the natural world we all share, we improve the lives of people, animals and the environment. Everything is connected—everyone can make a difference.”

• One Tree Planted - “We want to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. Together we can restore forests, create habitat for biodiversity, and make a positive social impact around the world.”

• Education

• Earthwatch - “Connects people with scientists worldwide to conduct environmental research and empowers them with the knowledge they need to conserve the planet.”

• Sierra Club - “Works tirelessly to protect wildlife and wild places, ensure clean air and water for all, and fight the devastating effects of climate change.”

• Look Locally

• Do you have a local chapter of the Sierra Club? 

• Is your town or city advocating for its own control over its utilities? 

• Indigenous Wisdom - Indigenous people were the OG environmentalists long before that was even a thing. 

• Honor the Earth - Honor the Earth uses Indigenous wisdom, music, art, and the media to raise awareness and support for Indigenous Environmental Issues

• Indigenous Climate Action - An Indigenous-led organization guided by a diverse group of Indigenous knowledge keepers, water protectors, and land defenders from communities and regions across the country.

• Renewable energy

• Groundswell - “Builds community power through equitable community solar projects and resilience centers, clean energy programs that reduce energy burdens, and pioneering research initiatives that help light the way to clean energy futures for all.”

• Invest in yourself! 

• LED bulbs (your energy company might give them to you for free)

• Improve your home’s efficiency (windows, insulation, etc.)

• Eat lower on the food chain

• Compost

• Start a garden (outside or hydroponic depending on your climate, space, budget)

• Solar Panels! Heat pump! Electric Bike or Car! 

• Run for office!