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In this series, illuminem and carbonparadox share 24 carbon paradoxes that demand our attention and discussion. Each one highlights a tension we must address to improve the way we value and protect our planet.
What are the unintended consequences of well-intended investments – the “spillover effect”?
Imagine you buy a forest or a logging concession to protect the trees instead of cutting them.
Great, right? But here’s the catch: the company that sold you the land might now cut down a different forest to meet the same demand for timber. The emissions you thought you avoided simply shifted elsewhere. This is called “leakage.”
Leakage is a risk in other sectors, too. What if you shut down a coal mine, but instead the coal now simply originates from a different mine?
What if you sell your “dirty” assets as part of a decarbonsiation strategy, but these dirty assets just end up wih a new owner?
Leakage creates a paradox: Saving one forest can inadvertently drive deforestation in another, especially if the root economic drivers—like demand for timber or farmland—remain unchecked. Worse still, the displaced deforestation might target even more vulnerable ecosystems.
Likewise, if you sell your coal plant in a well-intended effort to decarbonise your assets, the same coal plant may end up in the hands of an investor, who cares less about the environment than you did.
How to address the leakage paradox?
This article is also published on carbonparadox.org. illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability & Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.
