We Hate Carbon Offsets, But We Bought ‘Em Anyways
Executive Summary
Leaders around the world are looking increasingly to carbon offsets as a solution to the global climate crisis. Under this scheme, businesses and individuals can pay to fund carbon reduction projects, such as reforestation, to balance the impact of their own GHG-emitting operations. The idea that you can buy carbon credits while continuing to engage in polluting behaviors does not sit well with many scientists, activists, and others — including us. Unfortunately, we are still a long way off from creating a carbon neutral future, with even the most progressive states in the country targeting carbon neutrality no sooner than 2045, and the largest polluters in the world still lagging behind.
At Point Energy Innovations, we are at the forefront of developing a carbon neutral future, studying the benefits of all-electric new construction for the UC Office of the President, and designing numerous all-electric renewable powered projects throughout California. Our work in this area inspired us to turn our analysis inward to quantify our company’s emissions, and determine what more we could do about it. Our analysis showed that our company’s annual emissions are just 74 metric tons CO₂e. Put in perspective, this is roughly one third of the carbon that is saved annually by just one of our high-performance building projects.
Though offsets are a controversial solution, until we develop enough carbon-free energy resources to power the global economy, they are the only option for those that have already taken steps to reduce their impact by other means. Being a sustainability-focused firm, we have already implemented many practices and programs that lower our impact. 100% of our employees commute via public transit, our low-energy office uses one third of the energy of a typical office in San Francisco (let us know if you want to come by for a visit), and we offer a repair benefit to encourage reuse rather than disposal, to name a few. Because of this, we researched verified carbon offset projects as a way to go completely carbon neutral.
Our team elected to purchase offsets that support three projects that are directly focused on alleviating energy poverty via increased access to renewables. The projects provide solutions at all scales, from providing families with solar cookstoves to helping farmers capture biogas all the way up to building a 100 MW wind farm. These projects are also unique examples of effective community engagement, in which the needs of the local population are prioritized in creating an effective carbon mitigation solution.
