Carbon offset programs are a dangerous distraction from real climate action

Carbon offset programs are a dangerous distraction from real climate action

As someone reporting from Ghana, I've witnessed firsthand how carbon offset schemes exploit developing nations while allowing wealthy corporations to continue polluting. These programs create a false equivalency between immediate emissions in industrialized countries and theoretical future carbon sequestration in the Global South. The math simply doesn't add up when you consider the urgent timeline for emissions reductions. Most offset projects fail to deliver promised carbon reductions, with studies showing that up to 85% of projects don't provide the climate benefits claimed. Meanwhile, these schemes often displace indigenous communities and small farmers from their lands in the name of reforestation or conservation. The real tragedy is that offsets provide moral license for continued high emissions by creating an illusion of climate responsibility. Instead of genuine decarbonization, we're seeing a new form of climate colonialism where the Global North exports its pollution problem while maintaining business as usual. True climate action requires immediate, dramatic emissions cuts at source—not elaborate accounting tricks that defer responsibility to the most vulnerable populations.