[s9e21] Carbon Offsets Review

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

: Oliver points to instances where "protected" forests used for offsets burned down in wildfires, releasing the stored carbon back into the atmosphere and rendering the previous "offset" moot. The "Greenwashing" Trap [S9E21] Carbon Offsets

The story of refers to the main segment of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver , which aired on August 21, 2022 . The episode dives into the "Wild West" of the voluntary carbon market, exploring why these popular tools for achieving "net-zero" goals are often deeply flawed. The Premise: The "Net-Zero" Illusion Mapped: The impacts of carbon-offset projects around the

: 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." The Premise: The "Net-Zero" Illusion : Credits are

Oliver centers the story on the concept of —the requirement that an offset project must only happen because of the carbon credit funding.

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