Cancel Culture: Corporations Flock to Carbon Offsets to Solve their Climate Problem, but do Offsets Truly Reduce Emissions?

by Andrew Isaacs and Natàlia Costa i Coromina
01 Oct 2022

Companies can offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by, for example, funding a solar power plant in place of a planned fossil fuel plant. By 2021, the value of traded carbon dioxide (CO2) offsets grew to a record $851 billion, spurred on by public pressure and dire climate change projections. Some corporate leaders consider carbon offsets an essential short-term solution until the world has fully transitioned to a non-fossil carbon economy and reaches net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Or are offset claims a dangerous distraction because companies can continue business as usual rather than make fundamental changes to their operations?

Learning Objectives

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1) Understand the origin, purpose and types of voluntary carbon offsets 2) Learn some of the essential challenges associated with the use of carbon offsets as a method to address climate change

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Details

Pub Date: October 1, 2022

Discipline: Corporate Social Responsibility

Subjects: Green marketing, Green business, Environmental performance, Environmental responsibility, Environmental stewardship, Environmental sustainability, Deforestation

Product #: B6017-PDF-ENG

Industry: Energy & Natural Resources

Geography: United States, California

Length: 6 page(s)