Carbon Offsets: Can We Buy Our Way Out of Climate Change?

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Carbon offsets have been around for decades. Proponents of carbon offsets have labelled them as essential to see climate finance directed towards regions and communities that need it the most. However, investigations into the validity and effectiveness of carbon offsets have painted a different picture and noted that many carbon offset projects do not make any difference to carbon emissions. This has somewhat justified critics’ accusations that offsets are nothing more than greenwashing tools businesses and governments use. In general, carbon offsets face an uncertain future, and trust in offsets is somewhat declining after a booming interest in the past decade.