No, we can’t just offset the emissions of flying
Crossposted from this fediverse post by StayGrounded, emphasis mine:
We can keep flying if we just offset the emissions, right?
No, because so-called carbon offsets pose many problems and in most cases do not compensate emissions - on the contrary.
Offsets are projects meant to reduce emissions that occur elsewhere. Offsetting projects are mostly located in countries of the Global South. Many of them are hydroelectric projects, claiming to prevent production of energy from fossil fuels. Also forest conservation projects, operators of tree plantations, or organisations that distribute climate-friendly cooking stoves to women in rural parts can sell offset credits.
Offsets fail to reduce emissions
A majority of projects miscalculate their savings. Emission reductions would have occurred also without paying the offset, e.g. because a hydropower plant would have been built anyway. Trees need years to grow enough to reabsorb the carbon from your flight. It is hard to guarantee they will be left standing long enough.
Offsets often lead to ecological and human rights issues
It’s cheaper to offset in the Global South, so most projects are located there. They often lead to local conflicts or land grabbing. This is especially the case with land or forest-based projects like REDD+. Often, small-holders and #indigenous people are restricted to use the forest in their ancestral way in order to store the predicted amount of carbon in the trees. Ultimately, offsetting is exposed as Carbon Colonialism by many indigenous groups.
Offsets are a modern sale of indulgences
Offsetting enables a small share of the world population to fly indefinitely with a supposedly clear environmental conscience. Some therefore compare the trade in compensation credits with the selling of indulgences by the church.
Offsetting diverts the attention from real solutions
Some have argued that if we make offsetting possible as a ‘last resort’, and try to offset emissions locally, this would be better than doing nothing. However, the fact remains that offsetting then becomes a license to pollute and help preserve the status quo. In this way, offsetting prevents the necessary fundamental changes of our mobility system.
Offsets often only cover CO2 emissions
Airplanes produce other emissions in addition to CO2, so their total climate-damaging effect is about 2-4 times higher than that of CO2 alone. However, these effects are often not covered by offsets.
More information:
https://geographical.co.uk/nature/climate/item/3765-dossier-a-carbon-offsetting-dilemma
https://stay-grounded.org/emissions-offsetting-a-modern-sale-of-indulgences/
https://stay-grounded.org/report-degrowth-of-aviation/
