The story concludes that while offsets could theoretically help, they are currently used as a tool for . They allow companies to avoid the more difficult task of actually cutting their own emissions at the source by simply throwing money at questionable projects.
Oliver centers the story on the concept of —the requirement that an offset project must only happen because of the carbon credit funding. [S9E21] Carbon Offsets
: Oliver points to instances where "protected" forests used for offsets burned down in wildfires, releasing the stored carbon back into the atmosphere and rendering the previous "offset" moot. The "Greenwashing" Trap The story concludes that while offsets could theoretically
: Credits are often sold for protecting forests that weren't actually in danger of being cut down. Oliver mocks this as "paying someone not to do something they weren't going to do anyway." : Oliver points to instances where "protected" forests
: Many projects, particularly large-scale renewable energy farms or forests that were never under threat, would have existed anyway.
Oliver's final take is a warning: the current system is essentially a "get out of jail free card" that prioritizes corporate PR over actual climate action. org/">Verra have responded to these criticisms?