Great piece Skylar. I totally agree, forests aren’t accounting tools, and monoculture offsets will never replace old-growth ecosystems or Indigenous stewardship.
Working in nature recovery, I see the same pattern in the UK but there are some great schemes out there too.
I also think there is potential in carbon finance when it’s used carefully, not as an excuse to keep emitting, but to support real ecological restoration, long-term stewardship, and community-led land governance. I’ve seen good examples of this (look up trees for climate and community forests) so know it can work.
The shift we need is from offsets-as-loopholes to finance that actually serves nature and people. Forests aren’t a workaround. They’re a living system, and we have to treat them that way. 🌳
The only somehow positive that I see out of this is that natural parks and trusts can get some much needed money from the companies that choose to offset their emissions.
Great piece Skylar. I totally agree, forests aren’t accounting tools, and monoculture offsets will never replace old-growth ecosystems or Indigenous stewardship.
Working in nature recovery, I see the same pattern in the UK but there are some great schemes out there too.
I also think there is potential in carbon finance when it’s used carefully, not as an excuse to keep emitting, but to support real ecological restoration, long-term stewardship, and community-led land governance. I’ve seen good examples of this (look up trees for climate and community forests) so know it can work.
The shift we need is from offsets-as-loopholes to finance that actually serves nature and people. Forests aren’t a workaround. They’re a living system, and we have to treat them that way. 🌳
Well said!
The only somehow positive that I see out of this is that natural parks and trusts can get some much needed money from the companies that choose to offset their emissions.
But other than that, the concept makes no sense.
good point! I’m also looking into some examples of ‘good’ offsetting projects and doing a sort of counter piece so will include this!