Carbon offsets fail to cut global heating, study finds
Carbon offsets fail to cut global heating due to systemic problems, study says.
Why it matters
- Carbon offsets are a key tool in climate action, but they're not working as intended.
- The study highlights deep-seated systemic problems with carbon offset schemes.
By the numbers
- Reviewed 25 years of evidence.
- Less than 16% of carbon credits investigated showed real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
The big picture
- The study suggests that incremental changes won't fix the problems with carbon offsets.
- The authors recommend phasing out ineffective offsets and focusing on high-quality carbon dioxide removal and storage.
What they're saying
- "We must stop expecting carbon offsetting to work at scale," says Stephen Lezak, co-author of the study.
- Commenters express skepticism, calling carbon offsets a scam and an example of technosolutionism.
Caveats
- The study provides a broad overview but doesn't critically appraise the underlying studies.
- There are efforts to clean up the market, like the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM).
What’s next
- The authors recommend shifting the focus of offset markets to high-quality carbon dioxide removal and storage.
- They also suggest a contribution-based scheme that doesn't allow donors to claim it negates their own emissions.