Yes, carbon offsets are imperfect—but we need them

Some of the most egregious uses of false dichotomies crop up in the context of carbon offsetting—financial investment in projects such as the preservation of ecosystems, carbon capture and storage, the construction of wind farms or the planting of forests—which companies can use to compensate for carbon released elsewhere. What can emitters legitimately claim when it comes to reducing their carbon footprint? Sooner or later, emissions must reduce. Point. Until then, if we encourage companies to invest in offsets as a first step, at least that gets them used to a future where carbon is inevitably going to be on the balance sheet, as well as helping them to pluck low-hanging carbon from the atmosphere while new technology is in development. Click to read Sylvera co-founder and COO Sam Gill's op-ed in Fortune about the role carbon offsets can play in combating the climate crisis.