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What are carbon offsets? Can they actually cut planet-heating emissions?

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By illuminem briefings

· 2 min read


illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Market Realist or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The concept of carbon offsetting is gaining traction as a strategy for corporations to mitigate their carbon footprint in the face of the growing climate crisis
• Carbon offsets are tradable certificates representing activities that reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
However, the rise of carbon offsetting has also sparked concerns about greenwashing and the authenticity of claims made by these schemes

🔭 The context: Carbon offsetting involves a range of activities, such as reforestation, renewable energy projects, and methane capture
• These projects are intended to compensate for the emissions produced by companies or individuals
The practice allows entities to invest in environmental projects elsewhere to balance out their own emissions, essentially buying their way to a lower carbon footprint

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Carbon offsetting has the potential to play a significant role in global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• However, the effectiveness and integrity of these projects are crucial as poorly managed or misleading offset projects can undermine climate action efforts and give a false sense of progress towards emission reduction goals

⏭️ What's next: The future of carbon offsetting hinges on establishing robust standards and transparency to ensure that offset projects genuinely contribute to carbon reduction
• This includes addressing challenges like ensuring the permanence of carbon storage and avoiding double-counting of emission reduction
The development of clear, verifiable standards is essential for the credibility and effectiveness of carbon offsetting as a tool in combating climate change

💬 One quote: "Carbon offsetting is not a silver bullet, but it can be part of the solution if done right." (Deep Das Barman, journalist)

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