SURPRISE! “Carbon Offsetting” Doesn’t Work.
19. Nov, 2009 
1 Comment 
An interesting article came out recently in the New York Times: Responsible Travel, one of the first companies to offer carbon offsetting for airline flights, has canceled its program.
To me, “carbon offsetting” has always felt like a scam. The premise is well-meant: pay an extra fee when you fly, and someone will plant a tree or take another eco-friendly action on your behalf. That action’s positive impact “offsets” or cancels out your share of the pollution caused by your airplane’s emissions.
But let’s be honest: did anyone really believe this would be an effective way to save the world?
So how can I travel more responsibly?
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Avoid flying.
Take the train, the bus, a rideshare, a bike or even your car; all are more eco-friendly than airplanes.
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Don’t travel for business.
Unless it’s absolutely necessary that you show up in person, replace your farflung meetings with teleconferences. Talk to your higher-ups about reducing the amount of travel required by your company. Favor local events over distant ones.
Business travelers are some of the most egregious offenders; take the initiative to change things in your company, and you’ll be making a significant difference.
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Offset your own carbon emissions
Take real action to improve the environment. Volunteer at community gardens, local cleanup days, tree plantings, farmer’s markets and other events. Get your own hands dirty, so you know your actions are resulting in real good.
According to Responsible Travel, the program caused a false sense of environmental responsibility. Rather than influencing people to fly less frequently by making them aware of air flight’s polluting impact (the original aim of the program), carbon offsetting simply made people feel that they could fly as much as they wanted and not worry about the environmental effect.
Justin Francis, managing director of Responsible Travel, puts it this way: “The carbon offset has become this magic pill, a kind of get-out-of-jail-free card.” Carbon offsetting has been used with increasing frequency over the past few years, with mixed effects. The Times notes a case in which Coldplay “offset” their concert tour by paying for mango trees to be planted in India; those trees, left untended, largely died off.*
The attitude of carbon offsetting is markedly hands-off, requiring no action on the part of the traveler. They pay their fee and never have to think again about their environmental footprint.
The last thing we need right now are more methods of avoiding personal responsibility toward the environment—and so, Responsible Travel is pulling out.
Interestingly, they’re not alone: Yahoo and the U.S. House of Representatives have both ended their carbon-offsetting programs and are focusing instead on making their facilities more sustainable.
A few companies are still committed to carbon offsetting, and some are working to make it truly beneficial; but as it stands, carbon offsets are not a reliable option for green travel.
*Note: the slow death of 3,200 trees is a fitting metaphor for the effect of Coldplay’s music on this blogger’s soul.
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