Carbon offsetting is sadly not the get-out-of-eco-jail-free card that some
people think it is.
Whether you're a frequent flyer looking to make up for the environmental sins
of your trips around the world, a heavy-polluting fossil-fuel-based
corporation, or just someone who gets their Etsy packages delivered,
you've probably heard of carbon offsetting.
But, so that we're all on the same page: what is carbon
offsetting?
Well there's no concrete definition - everyone has their own ideas of
what 'counts' as carbon offsetting and what doesn't - but I can give you the
basics.
Carbon offsetting, as far as I understand it, is where
someone - sometimes an individual, but more commonly a business or
organisation - attempts to counteract their carbon footprint
by supporting environmental projects.
This support often comes in the form of...
(paying to make the problem go away) ...investing.
This might be an investment in a green energy scheme, such as a wind farm or
tidal energy project...