5 ms·

You know what's even better? Me. I drive an SUV in San Francisco and I offset all my carbon usage every year. I also eat meat. I also fly. I'm also better than

You know what's even better? Me. I drive an SUV in San Francisco and I offset all my carbon usage every year. I also eat meat. I also fly. I'm also better than nearly every electric car driver.

tunesmith 7y ago
I know you're being tongue-in-cheek, but it's worth making the point. Carbon offset prices are determined by current carbon offset capacity. Like, number of acres where trees can be planted, number of carbon-scrubbing machines that can be installed at a certain location, etc. Carbon offset supply is limited. Meaning, it cannot scale to the level the planet needs, at current prices. If we gave these carbon-offset companies X billion dollars tomorrow at current prices, it's not like our problems would be solved. Therefore, carbon offset prices will go up as demand (read: more people seeking to offset carbon) goes up. One way to battle that is to reduce carbon emissions while buying offsets. That will reduce the required "supply". People who buy offsets without reducing their emissions, on the other hand, are effectively stealing resources from future people, by buying low and making it more expensive for the people buying later. (If you really want to be a jerk about it, you can calculate your lifetime carbon expenditures and just offset all of it now while prices are cheap.)
- scarejunba 7y ago
  Haha, you’re right, of course. My real goal is to popularize the notion of paying for your carbon debt so that one day when we know we only have a certain carbon budget we’re acclimated to the idea of paying to pollute a little more by buying some of someone else’s budget. Also, I’d rather bootstrap them now rather than later. I have to buy the offsets now though or no one will listen. Cool idea to buy the entire lifetime’s offsets.

5 ms·

You know what's even better? Me. I drive an SUV in San Francisco and I offset all my carbon usage every year. I also eat meat. I also fly. I'm also better than

by scarejunba 7y ago

You know what's even better? Me. I drive an SUV in San Francisco and I offset all my carbon usage every year. I also eat meat. I also fly. I'm also better than nearly every electric car driver.

tunesmith 7y ago
I know you're being tongue-in-cheek, but it's worth making the point. Carbon offset prices are determined by current carbon offset capacity. Like, number of acres where trees can be planted, number of carbon-scrubbing machines that can be installed at a certain location, etc. Carbon offset supply is limited. Meaning, it cannot scale to the level the planet needs, at current prices. If we gave these carbon-offset companies X billion dollars tomorrow at current prices, it's not like our problems would be solved. Therefore, carbon offset prices will go up as demand (read: more people seeking to offset carbon) goes up. One way to battle that is to reduce carbon emissions while buying offsets. That will reduce the required "supply". People who buy offsets without reducing their emissions, on the other hand, are effectively stealing resources from future people, by buying low and making it more expensive for the people buying later. (If you really want to be a jerk about it, you can calculate your lifetime carbon expenditures and just offset all of it now while prices are cheap.)
- scarejunba 7y ago
  Haha, you’re right, of course. My real goal is to popularize the notion of paying for your carbon debt so that one day when we know we only have a certain carbon budget we’re acclimated to the idea of paying to pollute a little more by buying some of someone else’s budget. Also, I’d rather bootstrap them now rather than later. I have to buy the offsets now though or no one will listen. Cool idea to buy the entire lifetime’s offsets.