Seeking reputable carbon offset programs
November 21, 2021 5:56 AM Subscribe
Looking for recommendations for reputable and effective carbon offset programs (if they exist). Details below the fold.
My extended, fully vaccinated, family is taking a rare vacation together that will require a significant amount of air travel this spring. I simultaneously believe: A) carbon burning is destroying life on our planet, B) that the majority of the carbon burn rate is shaped at the national policy/large corporation level and that individual impact is not as large as we might all hope, 3) despite point #2, we should still all strive to make ethical environmental choices, and 4) that after the past 2 years of *waves hands vaguely* all of this, I want to have a special trip with my family (which I understand comes from a position of privilege). Even if my individual actions don't account for much in the grand scheme of things, I want to be thoughtful as I continue to exist in this world.
To that end, I was looking into carbon offset programs to help assuage my own enviro-guilt surrounding this trip, and Googling makes it seem like the majority of these programs are (at best) flawed, and (at worst) outright scams. So I turn to you all. Are there reputable and effective programs for purchasing carbon offset credits (or equivalents)? Or better ways to approach this? Open to suggestions!
My extended, fully vaccinated, family is taking a rare vacation together that will require a significant amount of air travel this spring. I simultaneously believe: A) carbon burning is destroying life on our planet, B) that the majority of the carbon burn rate is shaped at the national policy/large corporation level and that individual impact is not as large as we might all hope, 3) despite point #2, we should still all strive to make ethical environmental choices, and 4) that after the past 2 years of *waves hands vaguely* all of this, I want to have a special trip with my family (which I understand comes from a position of privilege). Even if my individual actions don't account for much in the grand scheme of things, I want to be thoughtful as I continue to exist in this world.
To that end, I was looking into carbon offset programs to help assuage my own enviro-guilt surrounding this trip, and Googling makes it seem like the majority of these programs are (at best) flawed, and (at worst) outright scams. So I turn to you all. Are there reputable and effective programs for purchasing carbon offset credits (or equivalents)? Or better ways to approach this? Open to suggestions!
I used myclimate.org after doing some research - seemed legit.
posted by leslies at 6:58 AM on November 21, 2021
posted by leslies at 6:58 AM on November 21, 2021
For better or worse, I tried to answer this question for myself and came to the same conclusion as you--they're greenwashing at best, scams at worst. Consider opting out of the vacation, or, if possible, convince your family to do something locally.
posted by pullayup at 7:22 AM on November 21, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by pullayup at 7:22 AM on November 21, 2021 [3 favorites]
I agree that the carbon offset business is scammy, but there are still plenty of diy options. If you donate the equivalent amount of your airfares to a reputable tree planting or rewilding charity, then you’d still have done considerably less net harm.
posted by rd45 at 8:56 AM on November 21, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by rd45 at 8:56 AM on November 21, 2021 [6 favorites]
I agree with everything you said. It feels like offsets are another way for the global rich to continue living the same life but buy out their guilt.
That said, here’s the best ones I’ve found and used myself.
Gold Standard
I’d suggest supporting projects that have an effect sooner rather than later, i.e trees planted today probably won’t do much to offset a flight taken today for some time.
posted by shahzebasif at 9:07 AM on November 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
That said, here’s the best ones I’ve found and used myself.
Gold Standard
I’d suggest supporting projects that have an effect sooner rather than later, i.e trees planted today probably won’t do much to offset a flight taken today for some time.
posted by shahzebasif at 9:07 AM on November 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
I used Native (Energy) in the past for this. In general I like the projects that are focused on reducing emissions in specific sites, like biogas digesters or community solar projects, rather than tree planting.
In addition, you may consider a donation to a climate change justice group as a form of offsets. I figure if we can give money to systemic change efforts, that will also lead to emissions reductions.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:41 AM on November 21, 2021 [4 favorites]
In addition, you may consider a donation to a climate change justice group as a form of offsets. I figure if we can give money to systemic change efforts, that will also lead to emissions reductions.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:41 AM on November 21, 2021 [4 favorites]
And I would also consider looking into climate change / environmental justice organizations that are local to you! That way you can stay connected to what's happening in your area, and $500 to a small organization is a relatively big donation compared to the same amount to a national group.
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:47 AM on November 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:47 AM on November 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
Thirdly, maybe loop in your relatives about this? At least the ones you think will be more receptive to talking about climate change. You can send a friendly "hey everyone" note to share what you end up doing, along with a little info about aviation's impacts on climate change. People can enjoy this get-together... and think about how their next vacation maybe could be planned differently. Climate anxiety and guilt can be transmuted when mitigation seen as a group project...
Fourthly and probably lastly, if you have the space, consider composting or vermicomposting as a way of ongoing emissions reductions. Methane is way more potent than CO2 and is a byproduct of organic waste like food scraps rotting away in landfills. While I am with you on the need for collective action (I teach urban planning and have been salty about how the earliest versions of carbon footprint calculators didn't really underscore how driving is not exactly a choice for most!), I've actually come around to the importance of individual action as a way of integrating the reality of climate change and the practice of hope/action. I have three upcycled buckets of worms outside my front door and have been giving away little tubs of worms as fast as I can.
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:03 AM on November 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
Fourthly and probably lastly, if you have the space, consider composting or vermicomposting as a way of ongoing emissions reductions. Methane is way more potent than CO2 and is a byproduct of organic waste like food scraps rotting away in landfills. While I am with you on the need for collective action (I teach urban planning and have been salty about how the earliest versions of carbon footprint calculators didn't really underscore how driving is not exactly a choice for most!), I've actually come around to the importance of individual action as a way of integrating the reality of climate change and the practice of hope/action. I have three upcycled buckets of worms outside my front door and have been giving away little tubs of worms as fast as I can.
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:03 AM on November 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
The concept of a "carbon offset" doesn't make sense and isn't part of the solution.
Every possible "carbon offset" is something we have to do anyway, without using it as an excuse to engage in irresponsible behavior. If people use "offsets" as an excuse to engage in irresponsible behavior, then those offset programs are actively harming the planet.
Take your vacation if you have to. Make contributions to climate action groups. But start planning in your mind for a future without leisure air travel. It is an emergency. The house is on fire. We all need to give up our carbon intensive vacations. It's sad. I love seeing my family members who are spread across the country. But we can't just keep doing this.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 10:27 AM on November 21, 2021 [7 favorites]
Every possible "carbon offset" is something we have to do anyway, without using it as an excuse to engage in irresponsible behavior. If people use "offsets" as an excuse to engage in irresponsible behavior, then those offset programs are actively harming the planet.
Take your vacation if you have to. Make contributions to climate action groups. But start planning in your mind for a future without leisure air travel. It is an emergency. The house is on fire. We all need to give up our carbon intensive vacations. It's sad. I love seeing my family members who are spread across the country. But we can't just keep doing this.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 10:27 AM on November 21, 2021 [7 favorites]
Carbon offsetting doesn't really work. Even if it did work as claimed — which the evidence is very much against — the fundamental idea is flawed. There isn't enough space to plant the number of trees we would need to plant, not to mention that planting trees and making sure they grow for 100 years is basically impossible to guarantee, so you're really looking at paying someone else to reduce their emissions (in theory). We all know we need to reduce our global emissions to near zero. If half of the emissions are offset by paying other people to reduce their emissions, the best we can hope for is a 50% reduction in overall emissions, which is obviously not enough. The math just doesn't work.
You could donate the equivalent amount of money to an advocacy group that fights for policies that will reduce long term emissions (which could be national, local, state, etc).
posted by ssg at 10:51 AM on November 21, 2021 [5 favorites]
You could donate the equivalent amount of money to an advocacy group that fights for policies that will reduce long term emissions (which could be national, local, state, etc).
posted by ssg at 10:51 AM on November 21, 2021 [5 favorites]
Climeworks will capture CO2 from the air and inject it into the ground in Iceland where it mineralizes. It's not cheap! A round trip flight from NYC to London for instance is about 1000kg CO2, and Climeworks will charge you a bit over $1000 to permanently remove and store that much CO2. But I firmly believe that (a) they are in fact performing direct air capture of CO2, (b) it works, and (c) their main existing constraint in how much CO2 they can capture is funding.
My personal choice for CO2-elimination giving is the Rainforest Foundation which aims to use technology and lawyers to protect indigenous land rights in rainforests in Central and South America in order to stop deforestation. They have pretty good evidence that the work that they do prevents deforestation but obviously the evidence is less direct -- it's far from clear to me how you'd make the link from an additional $1 in going to an additional X kg of CO2 removed. On the other hand the purported benefits are 1-2 orders of magnitude larger per dollar spent.
It is possible to find afforestation projects in first-world countries that are well-monitored and at least do what they say they are going to do, but soil organic carbon is complicated and permanently sequestering carbon in wilderness areas requires more than just tree planting.
posted by goingonit at 7:40 PM on November 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
My personal choice for CO2-elimination giving is the Rainforest Foundation which aims to use technology and lawyers to protect indigenous land rights in rainforests in Central and South America in order to stop deforestation. They have pretty good evidence that the work that they do prevents deforestation but obviously the evidence is less direct -- it's far from clear to me how you'd make the link from an additional $1 in going to an additional X kg of CO2 removed. On the other hand the purported benefits are 1-2 orders of magnitude larger per dollar spent.
It is possible to find afforestation projects in first-world countries that are well-monitored and at least do what they say they are going to do, but soil organic carbon is complicated and permanently sequestering carbon in wilderness areas requires more than just tree planting.
posted by goingonit at 7:40 PM on November 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
You may want to consider donating to an Indigenous community or org near you instead. My first thought is water protectors, and those that try to prevent oil pipeline construction. Landback also comes to mind.
Just personally, I think donating to an Indigenous community would be good, because if stewardship of the land is part of their cultural heritage, that doesn't mean planting a 10 x 10 grid of same species trees to say that they planted trees, you know? There's more to healing the land than sticking baby trees (possibly of poorly-researched, inappropriate species) in the dirt. Empower the experts who already care. And even if the community you donate to isn't "eco-friendly" in terms of marketing, or their requests for donations aren't about the environment, the $ you contribute will still go towards the care of humans who give a shit about the world in a critically important way.
That's my first suggestion. My second suggestion is that, instead of giving away a lump sum now, you set a budget for food that is produced within a certain radius, local to you. That way you're supporting the local food economy over a longer period and reducing the amount of oil required to bring food to your table.
My third suggestion is vermicomposting, composting, or chickens, if you have the space. Something to turn food scraps into something useful - castings, good compost, or tasty protein.
I know my suggestions, other than the donation to an Indigenous group/community, are kinda slow-slimmer. I think it's a bit emblematic of how the environment works. It's a slow simmer to get our relationship with the environment in order. If you're looking for a flashbang solution to alleviate your guilt, you're already starting from a premise incompatible with the state of the world you actually want. That's how I read the situation, anyway.
Indian Residential School Survivor Society
A water protector legal fund gofundme
A Landback gofundme
posted by snerson at 8:04 PM on November 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
Just personally, I think donating to an Indigenous community would be good, because if stewardship of the land is part of their cultural heritage, that doesn't mean planting a 10 x 10 grid of same species trees to say that they planted trees, you know? There's more to healing the land than sticking baby trees (possibly of poorly-researched, inappropriate species) in the dirt. Empower the experts who already care. And even if the community you donate to isn't "eco-friendly" in terms of marketing, or their requests for donations aren't about the environment, the $ you contribute will still go towards the care of humans who give a shit about the world in a critically important way.
That's my first suggestion. My second suggestion is that, instead of giving away a lump sum now, you set a budget for food that is produced within a certain radius, local to you. That way you're supporting the local food economy over a longer period and reducing the amount of oil required to bring food to your table.
My third suggestion is vermicomposting, composting, or chickens, if you have the space. Something to turn food scraps into something useful - castings, good compost, or tasty protein.
I know my suggestions, other than the donation to an Indigenous group/community, are kinda slow-slimmer. I think it's a bit emblematic of how the environment works. It's a slow simmer to get our relationship with the environment in order. If you're looking for a flashbang solution to alleviate your guilt, you're already starting from a premise incompatible with the state of the world you actually want. That's how I read the situation, anyway.
Indian Residential School Survivor Society
A water protector legal fund gofundme
A Landback gofundme
posted by snerson at 8:04 PM on November 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
I use Climeworks to capture carbon from any flying I do. Yes, it is very expensive but what you are paying for is CO2 being definitively extracted from the air and mineralised in a geological repository. I don't necessarily think that all other climate offsets are scams or greenwashing but they are at the very least extremely complicated to account for and may have capture periods much longer than desirable.
Aviation is almost the only area where it does make sense to talk about personal consumption choices rather that personal responsibility to contribute to collective action on policy so it is also the only area where I buy offsets.
posted by atrazine at 2:58 AM on November 22, 2021 [3 favorites]
Aviation is almost the only area where it does make sense to talk about personal consumption choices rather that personal responsibility to contribute to collective action on policy so it is also the only area where I buy offsets.
posted by atrazine at 2:58 AM on November 22, 2021 [3 favorites]
I agree that offsets are dubious and that changing individual behaviour isn't the way to solve climate change.
In addition to the suggestions above, you could make a donation (ideally of time as well as money) to the Citizens Climate Lobby, who are working on building a cross-partisan consensus to eliminate fossil fuels.
posted by sindark at 1:50 PM on November 25, 2021
In addition to the suggestions above, you could make a donation (ideally of time as well as money) to the Citizens Climate Lobby, who are working on building a cross-partisan consensus to eliminate fossil fuels.
posted by sindark at 1:50 PM on November 25, 2021
I also use Climeworks. Instead of buying a specific amount of carbon capture based on an event like flying, I use one of the monthly subscriptions they offer (€21) which might be a more affordable solution than having to plunk down a large amount at once.
posted by gwint at 8:42 PM on November 30, 2021
posted by gwint at 8:42 PM on November 30, 2021
Yes, to be clear that's also what I do. I think it's actually the only way they do business and that makes sense given that the majority of their costs are fixed capital rather variable ones.
posted by atrazine at 9:25 AM on December 1, 2021
posted by atrazine at 9:25 AM on December 1, 2021
Shopify has invested in several companies that they believe are doing real carbon capture, and several of them sell direct to consumers. Besides Climeworks there is Nori, Soil Value Exchange (now Grassroots Carbon) and Pachama.
posted by bashing rocks together at 5:18 AM on December 8, 2021
posted by bashing rocks together at 5:18 AM on December 8, 2021
Treehugger's 2021 list of carbon offset programs:
Best Overall: NativeEnergy (recommended earlier)
Best Air Travel: Sustainable Travel International (link goes to the project descriptions which include wind farms, biodigesters, and clean water filters).
I was curious about the ones listed by bashing rocks together but I think the large scale, tech/AI-driven projects often overpromise and underdeliver. I prefer the small scale projects that are not sexy to venture capitalists.
posted by spamandkimchi at 6:32 PM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best Overall: NativeEnergy (recommended earlier)
Best Air Travel: Sustainable Travel International (link goes to the project descriptions which include wind farms, biodigesters, and clean water filters).
I was curious about the ones listed by bashing rocks together but I think the large scale, tech/AI-driven projects often overpromise and underdeliver. I prefer the small scale projects that are not sexy to venture capitalists.
posted by spamandkimchi at 6:32 PM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by larthegreat at 6:11 AM on November 21, 2021 [3 favorites]