Are Carbon Offsets for Real?

There has been no shortage of press recently on carbon offsets. Depending on the source they are a quick and easy way to reduce a company's impact on climate change, or they are greenwash run by scam operators looking to make a quick dollar out of the climate crisis. The short answer is that they can be either.

The principle behind carbon offsets is sound - there is a certain amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are unavoidable for a business in our society. As we all share the same atmosphere those emissions can be offset by creating carbon savings elsewhere. While environmentalists agree on the principle, the problem has come in the execution. There are two main arguments against offsets: they are just ways to assuage guilt, and they are ineffective.

Arguing that offsets assuage guilt is a specious argument. The companies and individuals that have made the effort to voluntarily invest in carbon offsets are generally validly concerned about the climate crisis. Overall the public is becoming increasingly environmentally savvy, and recognize that offsetting a flight is not the equivalent of not taking a flight. Assuaging some guilt is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it does not become a barrier to altering environmentally irresponsible behaviour.

Things become more complicated when we start considering the effectiveness of offsets. There are an ever-increasing number of providers of offsets, with varying schemes and varying credibility. Part of the reason offsets have received a bad name was the early reliance on tree planting projects. David Suzuki Foundation has posted an excellent summary as to why trees do not make good offsets. There are a whole host of considerations when it comes to creating a valid offset. These considerations include: are the carbon savings from the project independently verified, does the sale of carbon offsets directly contribute to new greenhouse gas emission savings, and do the majority of the funds go towards climate positive projects as opposed to profits and overhead. Clean Air-Cool Planet released a thorough report comparing carbon offset providers and giving recommendations.

An interesting option increasingly being pursued by climate leaders is to create their own offset programs. Creating your own program ensures that objectives are achieved and provides additional marketing opportunities. It does however require creative thinking and thorough research to ensure that the program can stand up to public scrutiny.

The most credible response to climate change is for businesses and individuals to take a long hard look at their carbon footprint and find a way to reduce it as much as possible. When opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have been exhausted, it makes good environmental sense to invest in credible offsets.