Guilt-driven vacationers flying abroad are advised to do their research before turning to carbon offsetting to address their carbon footprint.
Offsets have become the "go-to solution" for carbon emissions generated by air travel and other human Offers a simple remedy for carbon, ``a heavy conscience,'' said Louisa Buck of The Art Newspaper. "But beware of schemes that appear too good or too cheap to be true. They usually are."
Regulations
Carbon offsets have also been embraced by governments and businesses, trading carbon credits to compensate for their emissions as the world races to reach net zero. But critics who question the long-term environmental benefits point to a lack of transparency and regulation in any carbon offset market.
Investment bank Credit Suisse A report earlier this year described the market as "the Old West."
The industry is currently "covered by a patchwork of arbitrary private sector standards that are far from integrated global oversight," said Bloomberg. Theoretically, carbon credits are equivalent to 1 metric tonnes of greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere .
But there is no standardized way to trade carbon credits, and no way to verify the compensation activity behind them.
The Energy Transition Commission, an international think-tank, has stated that the offset market is "a key tool for limiting global warming to 1.5°C, in line with scientific warnings. and should be properly managed,” he warned. Report Fiona Harvey, environmental correspondent for The Guardian.
Additionality
Offsets can provide a "good story" that allows companies to "deviate from taking meaningful action," says Greenpeace. 29} mentioned.
One of her "key factors" underpinning confidence in carbon credits is the idea of additionality, Forbessaid. To qualify as a true carbon offset, "the reductions achieved by the project must be 'added' to those that would have occurred if the scheme had not been put in place".
According to the Carbon Offset Guide, if offset credits and associated greenhouse gas reductions are “not additive, buying offset credits in exchange for reducing your own emissions Climate change will get worse”is the result of carbon offset research and education initiatives. However, it may seemingly difficult to assess whether these reductions are additive.
It's not a drug or a shortcut," says Forbes, but "a tangible and effective tool" to combine with other measures to reduce emissions.
Sustainability
Offset projects "need to lock in forever" carbon emissions to benefit climate, says Friends of the Earthsaid. Afforestation is one of the most popular offset projects, but he stresses that "trees can burn out," as has happened in recent wildfires in Europe and the United States. . Planting projects cannot "guarantee" the longevity of atmospheric carbon removal, as trees can be "killed by pests" or "cut down to make way for agriculture, roads, etc." 97}
A recent study by the San Francisco-based nonprofit CarbonPlan found that carbon generated from forests "to offset future climate-warming emissions from California's large polluting sources." It was found that the carbon offsets that have been generated are “depleting as rapidly as trees.” It is devastated by wildfires and disease," reported Reuters .
Overview
Despite these criticisms, carbon offsets certainly have environmental benefits. But is buying carbon credits an effective way to tackle climate change? What can be done to solve the offset market problem? And how can new technologies help in the race to net zero?
The Week, in this episode of the overview,Dr. Steve Smith of the University of Oxford, Carbon Market Watch {60 We speak with Gilles Dufrasne, policy officer at }. } ,Dirk Nuber from Climeworks.
Listen to the synopsis on Amazon Music.
