![post image](https://illuminem.b-cdn.net/article/499f8ccc9f0b984de83413de101504f3438625ac.jpg?width=1920&quality=75)
![source image](https://illuminem.b-cdn.net/author/91a3c025c0bfa8996f8dd2e2245b9576f1a47e3e.png?width=96&quality=75)
Shane Coffield
Satellites detect no real climate benefit from 10 years of forest carbon offsets in California
Many of the companies promising “net-zero” emissions to protect the climate are relying on vast swaths of forests and what are known as carbon offsets to meet that goal. On paper, carbon offsets appear to balance out a company’s carbon emissions: The company pays to protect trees, which absorb carbon dioxide from the air. The company can then claim the absorbed carbon dioxide as an offset that reduces its net impact on the climate. However, our new satellite analysis reveals what researchers have suspected for years: Forest offsets might not actually be doing much for the climate.
![A wooden table with a typewriter, glasses, notebook, and pen placed on top.](https://illuminem.b-cdn.net/general/ivprofile.jpg?width=1920&quality=75)
Readers also like
![Monty Simus](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F8de0241f859582e9780cbe9df77b39ae10932a9f.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Monty Simus
Environmental Sustainability
![illuminem briefings](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F7b0adc1a500670ebde562e2ebca6d252bfb93168.png&w=384&q=75)
illuminem briefings
Carbon Capture & Storage
![illuminem](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F081a98f368664c625c901560e323c31816446599.png&w=384&q=75)
illuminem
ESG
![Alain Romero](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Ff02fff218a79fe52bb90cc6bd2a42f40c6e33e72.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Alain Romero
Climate Change
![Daniel Schmid](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F212e2bb72bfbaf424bd365babfbc7db40ce8ddf7.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Daniel Schmid
ESG
![Morten Dyrholm](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F23ca3c0eab60f17e032151e22614c6eb2e3adbfd.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Morten Dyrholm
ESG
![Patricio Lombardi](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F68157cc0880d49da53ba3b8c05437290f3f2a441.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Patricio Lombardi
ESG
![Pierre Abadie](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fe07236942e49fb223d1b23e80ae5497448611790.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Pierre Abadie
ESG
![Sade Fritschi](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fe139385d8625032b6edbd0099e4c10bc4e39eeec.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Sade Fritschi
ESG
![Michael Kobori](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F811f856c9624a82d48aea839b7dd28a3632f8d41.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Michael Kobori
ESG
![Gregg Meyer](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F078067c18b9bcefddb406c953adb7a68196ccf0a.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Gregg Meyer
ESG
![Nancy Mahon](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F578bbb7c31e5f7cd5e6d7542397ee2950bd1451a.png&w=384&q=75)
Nancy Mahon
ESG
![Markus Müller](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F2cfb391818e405dfe20b2a610f650a6c88e66627.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Markus Müller
ESG
![Marvin Rottenberg](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F7ab79b0ec0f20f27175bee4eee2adebdd53d0d27.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Marvin Rottenberg
ESG
![Andrea Gori](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F372fba02dbf55eba9a788443b4e736f5ce1821f2.jpeg&w=384&q=75)
Andrea Gori
ESG
![Nicolas Vecchioli](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F81e612f06c9fe6da0aa0fed27fb46339a4378348.png&w=384&q=75)
Nicolas Vecchioli
ESG
![Maria Rugamer](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fd1d61882f960939aad2a71baab02a96826c5e7be.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Maria Rugamer
ESG
![Maria Vittoria Bassetto](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fa8aca72f17c45bea18f85342045f6af6e06f31ed.jpeg&w=384&q=75)
Maria Vittoria Bassetto
ESG
![Markos Chrysikopoulos](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F0ec61776a8c15e3f6c8b53a83189c8a6382d7ca6.jpeg&w=384&q=75)
Markos Chrysikopoulos
ESG
![Roberta Boscolo](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F07413b1b03b2254e56968edb019abfe556076969.png&w=384&q=75)
Roberta Boscolo
ESG
![Elena Morettini](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F00c55ada7e0ce9e66d3f17b3107bc25cd4426fb2.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Elena Morettini
ESG
![Jef Teugels](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F157082847c5a4eb480ed8c85fcc5752ae812ccf9.png&w=384&q=75)
Jef Teugels
Environmental Sustainability
![Fabrizio Dodaro](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fde253e23f419cc08ec0c28d43ca4b1d8fd39127b.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Fabrizio Dodaro
Ethical Governance
![Praveen Gupta](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F43c9296dfc35eb874bdddc0559608a3c41a981b2.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Praveen Gupta
Environmental Sustainability
![Simon Göß](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fda87ca169605b3abee3c5b106efae4d03cd5b5b8.png&w=384&q=75)
Simon Göß
Carbon
![Hendrik Schuldt](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fe84a88294daccb9264831b7ca1e02a2adc5aa00c.jpeg&w=384&q=75)
Hendrik Schuldt
Carbon
![Ana Calvo](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fdd867267db2a37e210cb024bf90e2b05cb03ee1a.png&w=384&q=75)
Ana Calvo
Sustainable Living
![Jean-Baptiste Vaujour](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F9c8312ee27977f22f130fd57290f14077bf5b0b3.png&w=384&q=75)
Jean-Baptiste Vaujour
Carbon
![Samir Saci](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fdf5c482860e9ac77b47c5296d033638b97f9b9c0.png&w=384&q=75)
Samir Saci
ESG
![Renat Heuberger](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fa288b64b0d3d8d1bb5acf79aeb99adea87334c65.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Renat Heuberger
Green Tech
![Vaitea Cowan](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fe9e18f636885d24eacf238c069070919cf1b8e9c.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Vaitea Cowan
Green Tech
![Angelo Bonelli](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Ff6c1be29ef0ffcd1f37515a46178596df882285b.png&w=384&q=75)
Angelo Bonelli
Green Tech
![Mirko Dunner](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F82f158aec25aa5f6b2f2171006a3aca73b656d81.png&w=384&q=75)
Mirko Dunner
Green Tech
![Prachi Modi](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Ff897f4f2927a726fefa9e612827cbdd1d86151a9.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Prachi Modi
Green Tech
![Vilhelmiina Vulli](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fe9e2b3656305038462e351ad041dd14f1a337a3c.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Vilhelmiina Vulli
Green Tech
![Labanya Prakash Jena](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2Fbb65cf3d372751467448789c898f84e6ed20135f.jpg&w=384&q=75)
Labanya Prakash Jena
Sustainable Investment
![Jaspreet Kaur](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Filluminem.b-cdn.net%2Fauthor%2F1dcead3cd332641b6ee07d71de28c6c9fffb3fcc.png&w=384&q=75)
Jaspreet Kaur
Sustainable Investment
![The words 'dream big' written on a black wall](https://illuminem.b-cdn.net/general/bivprofile.jpg?width=1920&quality=75)