What is carbon offsetting?

If you Google ‘carbon offsetting flights’, the first half of the search results page for carbon offsetting is filled with ads from various carbon calculator services. What follows are articles and reports describing it as disproportionate to the scale of the problem, raising questions as to whether it’s purely a license for airlines to pollute more. One report even suggests some forms of carbon offsetting - namely tree planting - can actually pose adverse effects, such as displacing people or creating monocultures.

In other words, it’s becoming a divisive topic.

It’s not the ethics of whether carbon offsetting is good or bad that seem to be in question, though. Rather, it’s the legitimacy and overall effectiveness of some of the ways in which said carbon is ‘offset’ which is at the centre of the debate.

If you’re interested in learning more about carbon offsetting schemes and their offset projects, The Guardian provides a non-biased investigation and complete guide to carbon offsetting.

CORSIA: Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation

Death and taxes. They are the proverbial truths that are said to be unavoidable. And in the case of CORSIA, many within the industry are hoping that later doesn’t lead to the former. In other words, a carbon tax leading to the death of ticket sales.

This is not to imply that there is a total lack of industry support on this global initiative. While it’s too early to determine the exact implications of CORSIA on flight sales, several airlines are supporting the initiative. You can find the nearly two-page list of voluntary participants here.

Some airlines are seeing the initiative for what it truly is: An opportunity to position their brand as trail-blazers, as the industry heads into a wild new frontier of environmentalism. Delta has its 11-year carbon offsetting history and partnership with The Nature Conservancy. United has its Eco-skies program. And KLM has gone the furthest by simply encouraging people to fly less frequently.

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CORSIA and carbon offsetting: Challenges and opportunities