[s9e21] Carbon — Offsets

: Many projects, particularly large-scale renewable energy farms or forests that were never under threat, would have existed anyway.

The story concludes that while offsets could theoretically help, they are currently used as a tool for . They allow companies to avoid the more difficult task of actually cutting their own emissions at the source by simply throwing money at questionable projects. [S9E21] Carbon Offsets

Mapped: The impacts of carbon-offset projects around the world : Many projects

: Credits are often sold for protecting forests that weren't actually in danger of being cut down. Oliver mocks this as "paying someone not to do something they weren't going to do anyway." [S9E21] Carbon Offsets