Carbon Offsetting Problem: Why It Is Not Enough to Tackle Climate Change

Carbon offsetting is a practice that allows individuals and organizations to compensate for their carbon emissions by investing in projects that reduce or remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, such as tree planting, renewable energy, or energy efficiency.

Carbon offsetting is often seen as a way to balance one’s carbon footprint, or to achieve carbon neutrality. However, carbon offsetting has a serious problem: it does not address the root cause of climate change, which is the excessive use of fossil fuels. In this article, we will explain why carbon offsetting is not enough to tackle climate changeand what are the alternatives.

Why Carbon Offsetting Is Not Enough

Carbon offsetting is not enough to tackle climate change for several reasons, such as:

Lack of additionality: Additionality means that the carbon offsetting project would not have happened without the offsetting paymentand that it results in a net reduction of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. However, many carbon offsetting projects lack additionality, either because they are already required by law or policy, or because they would have happened anyway due to other factors, such as market forces, technological innovation, or social change.

For example, some offsetting projects involve protecting existing forests, which may already be protected by national or international regulations, or which may face no real threat of deforestation. In such cases, the offsetting payment does not lead to any additional environmental benefitand may even create perverse incentives to deforest other areas.

Uncertainty and variability: Uncertainty and variability mean that the carbon offsetting project may not deliver the expected amount or duration of greenhouse gas reduction or removal, due to natural or human factors, such as climate change, weather, fire, pests, diseases, corruption, or conflict.

For example, some offsetting projects involve planting new trees, which may take decades to grow and sequester carbonand which may be vulnerable to drought, wildfire, or logging. In such cases, the offsetting payment may not result in a permanent or reliable environmental benefitand may even lead to more emissions in the future.

Leakage and rebound: Leakage and rebound mean that the carbon offsetting project may cause or enable more emissions elsewhere, either directly or indirectly, by displacing or stimulating the demand or supply of fossil fuels.

For example, some offsetting projects involve providing clean energy or efficient appliances to communities in developing countries, which may reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, but which may also increase their overall energy consumption, or free up more fossil fuels for export or use by other sectors. In such cases, the offsetting payment may not result in a net environmental benefitand may even worsen the global carbon balance.

What Are the Alternatives?

Carbon offsetting is not enough to tackle climate changeand it should not be used as an excuse to delay or avoid the urgent and radical action that is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the source. The alternatives to carbon offsetting are:

Reducing emissions: Reducing emissions means cutting down the use of fossil fuelsand switching to clean and renewable sources of energy, such as solar, wind, or hydro. Reducing emissions also means improving the efficiency and conservation of energyand adopting low-carbon lifestyles and behaviors, such as driving less, flying less, eating less meatand consuming less.

Reducing emissions is the most effective and reliable way to tackle climate change, as it prevents greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere in the first placeand avoids the uncertainties and risks associated with carbon offsetting.

Removing emissions: Removing emissions means capturing and storing the greenhouse gases that are already in the atmosphereand restoring the natural carbon sinks that can absorb and store them, such as forests, wetlands, or soils.

Removing emissions is a complementary and supplementary way to tackle climate change, as it can help reduce the existing stock of greenhouse gases in the atmosphereand enhance the resilience and adaptation of the ecosystems and the society. However, removing emissions is not a substitute for reducing emissions, as it is still limited by the availability and feasibility of the technologies and the landand by the potential trade-offs and side-effects on the environment and the society.

gn0e Commitment

In order to uphold our commitment to delivering exclusively top-tier carbon offset initiatives, we have chosen not to engage with Rainforest-based offsets presently. Forestry projects face susceptibility to fires or logging, resulting in the release of sequestered carbon back into the atmosphere. Our attention is directed towards carbon removal projects geared towards securing a storage duration of no less than 1,000 years, thus aligning with our forward-looking vision.

The gn0e Criteria and Standards for Carbon Offsetting Projects

Carbon offsetting projects should meet certain criteria and standards to ensure that they deliver real, measurableand additional reductions or removals of greenhouse gases and that they do not cause any negative impacts on the environment and society. Some of the main criteria and standards of gn0e are:

Permanence: Permanence means that the carbon offsetting project ensures that the greenhouse gas reductions or removals are not reversed or lost over time, either intentionally or unintentionally.

Permanence can be ensured by applying appropriate monitoring, verificationand reporting proceduresand by establishing safeguards and mechanisms to prevent or address any leakage, reversal, or displacement of emissions. Permanence can also be enhanced by applying conservative estimates and discount factorsand by creating buffer pools or reserves of offsets to compensate for any potential losses.

Co-benefits: Co-benefits mean that the carbon offsetting project provides positive impacts on the environment or the society, beyond the greenhouse gas reductions or removals.

Co-benefits can include improving biodiversity, ecosystem services, air and water quality, human health and well-being, poverty alleviation, gender equalityand human rights. Co-benefits can be assessed by applying relevant indicators and metricsand by involving the local communities and stakeholders in the design, implementationand evaluation of the project.

Examples of gn0e Offsetting Projects

Based on gn0e criteria and standards mentioned above, some examples of our best carbon offsetting projects are:

Clean cookstoves: Clean cookstoves are devices that use less fuel and produce less smoke than traditional cookstoves, which are widely used in developing countries. Clean cookstoves can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by saving firewood and charcoaland by preventing deforestation and forest degradation. Clean cookstoves can also provide co-benefits such as improving indoor air quality, reducing respiratory diseases, saving money and timeand empowering women and girls.

Biomass energy: Biomass energy is a renewable source of energy that uses organic matter, such as wood, crops, or waste, to generate electricity, heat, or fuel. Biomass energy can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil fuels from the energy sectorand by avoiding the methane emissions from the decomposition of organic waste. Biomass energy can also provide co-benefits such as creating jobs, enhancing rural developmentand reducing waste management problems.

Fossil fuel switch: Fossil fuel switch is a practice that replaces high-carbon fossil fuels, such as coal or oil, with low-carbon fossil fuels, such as natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas, in the energy sector. Fossil fuel switches can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by lowering the carbon intensity of energy production and consumptionand by improving the efficiency and performance of the energy systems. Fossil fuel switches can also provide co-benefits such as reducing air pollution, enhancing energy securityand saving money and time.

Hydropower: Hydropower is a renewable source of energy that uses water flow, such as rivers, dams, or tides, to generate electricity, without emitting any greenhouse gases. Hydropower can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil fuels from the electricity gridand by avoiding the extraction, transportand combustion of coal, oil, or gas. Hydropower can also provide co-benefits such as creating jobs, enhancing energy securityand supporting irrigation and flood control.

N2O: N2O, or nitrous oxide, is a potent greenhouse gas that is mainly emitted from agricultural activities, such as fertilizer use, manure managementand crop residue burning. N2O can be reduced by applying various techniques and technologies, such as nitrification inhibitors, precision farming, or anaerobic digestion. N2O reduction can also provide co-benefits such as improving soil quality, crop yieldand water quality.

Solar power: Solar power is a renewable source of energy that uses solar panels or collectors to convert sunlight into electricity or heat, without emitting any greenhouse gases. Solar power can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil fuels from the electricity grid or the heating systemand by avoiding the extraction, transportand combustion of coal, oil, or gas. Solar power can also provide co-benefits such as creating jobs, enhancing energy accessand reducing energy poverty.

Transport: Transport is a sector that uses a large amount of fossil fuelsand emits a large amount of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methaneand nitrous oxide. Transport can be improved by adopting various measures and modes, such as fuel efficiency, electric vehicles, public transport, cycling, or walking. Transport improvement can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by lowering the fuel consumption and emissions of the vehiclesand by reducing the congestion and traffic of the roads. Transport improvement can also provide co-benefits such as improving air quality, healthand safety.

Wind power: Wind power is a renewable source of energy that uses wind turbines to generate electricity, without emitting any greenhouse gases. Wind power can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil fuels from the electricity gridand by avoiding the extraction, transportand combustion of coal, oil, or gas. Wind power can also provide co-benefits such as creating jobs, enhancing energy securityand reducing air pollution and noise.