The inconvenient truth of offsetting

April 2012  The inconvenient truth of carbon offsets – Nature
A  Pre-edited version of the piece is also available

Even so-called ‘good’ offsetting schemes increase rather than reduce absolute emissions. Whilst there certainly need to be measures for assisting poorer nations and communities to both develop low-carbon and climate resilient futures, such ‘reparation’ should not be an excuse for those that have caused the problem to continue to avoid deep and meaningful mitigation. Despite the attraction of ‘purchasing indulgences’, “Offsetting is worse than doing nothing, it is without scientific legitimacy, is dangerously misleading and leads to a net increase in emissions”