Alternatives to offsetting are no longer fringe

The document critiques carbon offsetting as a "cheap way out" that often lacks environmental integrity and instead promotes a "contribution model." Under this model, companies finance climate projects without claiming the resulting emission reductions as their own, allowing for more transparent reporting of both positive and negative climate impacts.

• Carbon offsetting is criticized as a method for companies to avoid climate responsibility, with many projects having little positive impact or causing carbon pollution and human rights violations.
• The proposed "contribution model" involves companies financing climate projects without claiming the associated emission reductions as their own, thereby avoiding misleading terms like "carbon neutral" or "net-zero."
• The contribution model enables greater transparency by requiring corporations to report their total pollution, their own pollution reductions, and the funding they provide for climate action.
• Several prominent organizations and entities have endorsed or adopted the contribution model, including Gold Standard, the Science-based Targets initiative (SBTi), the NewClimate Institute, Carbone 4, and the Boston Consulting Group in partnership with WWF.

APA

Dufrasne, G. (2021). Alternatives to offsetting are no longer fringe. Carbon Market Watch. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2021/02/24/alternatives-to-offsetting-are-no-longer-fringe/

Chicago

Dufrasne, Gilles. Alternatives to offsetting are no longer fringe. Carbon Market Watch, 2021. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2021/02/24/alternatives-to-offsetting-are-no-longer-fringe/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Dufrasne |first1=Gilles |title=Alternatives to offsetting are no longer fringe |publisher=Carbon Market Watch |date=24 February 2021 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2021/02/24/alternatives-to-offsetting-are-no-longer-fringe/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{dufrasne2021alternatives, author = {Dufrasne, Gilles}, title = {{Alternatives to offsetting are no longer fringe}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2021}, month = feb, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2021/02/24/alternatives-to-offsetting-are-no-longer-fringe/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }