The Problem With Carbon Offsets – and 5 Measures of Quality
Photo Credit: What's true and what isn't true about carbon offsets Skift
Skift Take
Carbon offsets exist within a flawed ecosystem but they should not be disregarded as an interim measure. It is on the industry to reform a broken system.
Carbon offsets have become controversial in recent years, and some say they’re just greenwashing. But have they been unfairly maligned?
What Are Carbon Offsets?Carbon offsets are a way for companies to compensate for their own emissions by reducing them elsewhere. The idea is that carbon emissions have the same effect wherever they are emitted. So organizations can offset their carbon footprint by backing initiatives that either remove or lessen CO2 or similar gasses.
Ideally, the process works as follows:
Why Are They Important to the Travel Industry?The travel industry is under a lot of pressure to reduce its impact on global emissions because it currently contributes about 8% of greenhouse gasses. Aviation gets particular scrutiny. Direct C02 emissions from aviation were steadily increasing in the decades prior to the pandemic and have been increasing quickly since 2020.
Of that 8%, transport contributes
