Since we started telling people about our first products, we’ve been getting the same great question.
Aren’t carbon offsets really just greenwashing?
There are lots of legitimate challenges levelled at offsets, and rightly so. The larger issue is that we need to change our consumption habits and reduce emissions to effectively combat climate change. Purchasing offsets can fund the reduction of future emissions (e.g. by building a hydroelectric power plant rather than a coal fired power station) or to a lesser extent, the capture of some atmospheric greenhouse gases. But that still means you’re paying someone else to reduce their emissions (or not increase them), so you can maintain yours.
The transition to net zero is estimated to require an average investment of $9.2 trillion dollars per year by the year 2030. That’s because we primarily need to transition away from fossil fuels as the primary source of energy. That means replacing fossil fuel burning engines, power stations, steel furnesses and many other things with solutions that harness and use energy from renewable sources. That will require massive funding over an extended period of time and across every country in the world.
So, offset investment can provide some of this money, and it can help start the transition, but it doesn’t negate the personal responsibility we all have to change our consumption habits overtime. It just means we can help compensate for our current emissions while we start building new habits and making the changes needed for significant, lasting impact.
At Switch2Zero we believe offsets are a helpful transitional tool, but that great care should be taken to ensure the projects and providers are reputable, transparent and traceable.
