• PostingPenguin@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    Well if you really start looking into it, carbon offsets are mostly a scam.

    For instance just declaring: “I will cut down this forest” without ever having the intention to do so, and then not doing it counts as a carbon offset. This is what abgreat part of companies are doing. Just saving forests that nobody wanted to cut down in the first place from being cut down. This they then sell to the consumer as a carbon offset.

    John Oliver had a great segment on this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p8zAbFKpW0

    • Lauchs@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Ahhhh, the John Oliver effect. I knew there was a reason people were furious without quite being able to articulate well!

      If you pay attention, you’ll note that Oliver’s problem with carbon offsets is that the system is too easy to game, which is fair!

      But to say that means the entire notion of carbon offsets is nonsense is a little silly. It’s sort of like saying “too many people cheat on their taxes, we shouldn’t have taxes!” Instead of, y’know, better regulation and enforcement.

      In this case, you have one of the most PR savvy people on Earth, I’d be surprised if her team didn’t find a legit carbon offset (which is exactly how we say, compensate farmers for not burning the amazon for the lucrative farmland etc.)