Episode 105
[FOCUS] Carbon Offsetting
Episode Summary: This episode is an excerpt from a past episode on Carbon Offsetting
In this episode, Carbon offsetting is discussed and how it could be a little misleading to pay for making a carbon footprint. How else could we approach this without paying for a future solution now? What are the benefits and disadvantages of carbon offsetting?
Listen to the full episode: Carbon Offsetting
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Featuring Carbon Almanac Contributors Jenn Swanson and Inma Lopez
From Langley in British Columbia, Canada, Jenn is a Minister, Coach, Writer and Community Connector, helping people help themselves.
Imma is from Cádiz in the South of Spain, living in Aberdeen, Scotland. Imma is a sommelier, a poet, a podcaster, a mother, a slow food advocate, and an animist activist.
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The CarbonSessions Podcast is produced and edited by Leekei Tang, Steve Heatherington and Rob Slater.
Transcript
So today we wanted to have a conversation about carbon offsettings.
Speaker:Carbon offsetting.
Speaker:Mm.
Speaker:So what?
Speaker:What is that?
Speaker:What is carbon?
Speaker:That is a word that is out there everywhere.
Speaker:I hear it all the time.
Speaker:Hmm.
Speaker:And my understanding is that it's, the idea is that you are offsetting
Speaker:the cost of carbon, financially.
Speaker:You're trying to trade, it's like a trade.
Speaker:I think of all the stuff that we're doing that causes.
Speaker:Carbon emissions and we are going to pay money that will then go into programming
Speaker:that will help to remove that carbon.
Speaker:Yeah.
Speaker:Is that, is that your understanding?
Speaker:That's my understanding and that's why I think it is kind of misleading because
Speaker:some people link carbon offsetting with carbon emissions completely.
Speaker:Like, okay, if we work on car carbon, offsettings means that we are reducing
Speaker:carbon emissions, and that is not true.
Speaker:So if I get on an airplane, which causes a lot of carbon emission,
Speaker:probably not as much as we think.
Speaker:I think being in our cars and using other tools and doing other
Speaker:things, or even more damaging.
Speaker:But if I get on an airplane, I can buy.
Speaker:Carbon offsets.
Speaker:What do you think that's doing?
Speaker:Nothing.
Speaker:Why?
Speaker:I don't think the carbon emissions that any transport and, and transport
Speaker:right now is at the top of the list in, in carbon emissions.
Speaker:I think what is misleading is that the carbon emissions that we are doing
Speaker:right now is adding, and what the carbon offerings that we are paying
Speaker:are the ones that are already there.
Speaker:So it's not in the, in accounting, it's not in the same balance sheet.
Speaker:So, so what do you mean they're already there?
Speaker:Tell me more about that.
Speaker:Well, uh, as far as I know, the carbon, the, the ones you pay
Speaker:in your, in your tree, uh, yeah.
Speaker:Uh, is not emitted yet.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:So you are paying for, to reduce carbon emissions.
Speaker:In the future.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:And we don't know the, the carbon emissions add up all the time.
Speaker:So for us to buy carbon offsettings in the future, we really don't know
Speaker:because, uh, what is happening right now is that because we are floating the
Speaker:glass, Let's say, let's compare that we are floating the glass right now.
Speaker:We don't know how we are gonna reduce carbon emissions in the future.
Speaker:And hoping maybe for a technology that can do that in the future is not a great idea.
Speaker:So I don't think it's not true that carbon off settings are interesting to look at.
Speaker:I think it's misleading.
Speaker:I also wonder if it doesn't incentivize people to travel more or to use their
Speaker:vehicles more because you, you're assuaging the guilt a little bit.
Speaker:Right?
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:It's, it's sort of that feeling of, oh, well, it's all okay.
Speaker:Like, you know, I really shouldn't be traveling.
Speaker:I really shouldn't be taking my gas vehicle.
Speaker:I really shouldn't be, you know, doing this, but that's okay.
Speaker:I've paid an eco fee, or I've paid a carbon offset fee and it's all good.
Speaker:So now I should.
Speaker:Now I can feel, uh, good about doing X.
Speaker:Yes, I agree.
Speaker:Totally agree with you on that.
Speaker:What would be the solution then?
Speaker:What should we do instead, do you think?
Speaker:I think, I think the whole traveling and transportation, there is a shift to
Speaker:make that implies changes in lifestyles.
Speaker:And
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