Questioning Carbon Offsets

Carbon offsets have long been seen as a way for governments and corporations to offset or negate their emissions by investing in projects that remove or avoid greenhouse gas emissions, such as protecting forests. But this strategy is increasingly being questioned. Studies are showing that many of these offset purchases aren’t reliably tracked, preserved, or protected — in some cases, purchased land may be lost entirely to wildfire or development — and Indigenous groups have criticized these approaches as false climate solutions.

Given the popularity of carbon offsets as the carbon strategy of choice for many corporations over the last two decades, this will likely remain a major concern in the coming years and will continue to sow doubt regarding market-based mitigation approaches.