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That doesn't really match the way people are using offsets. If you buy offsets for a flight and ten years later you learn that that they were ineffective... wha

by wmf 3y ago

That doesn't really match the way people are using offsets. If you buy offsets for a flight and ten years later you learn that that they were ineffective... what? The least effective offsets having the lowest price isn't a good incentive either.

ethbr1 3y ago
I don't believe the majority of VCM offsets are being purchased by end users. Are they? I thought they're typically purchased by corporate entities to support "net zero carbon by X year" pledges. Apparently this stuff has matured a lot in the last 10 years, and I haven't been keeping pace with it. There's already a concept of "vintage" (i.e. year carbon reduction realized in), but I still don't think they're being traded in a floating price futures model. It sounds like the international community is leaning on certification-first, then sale of only certified offsets. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offsets_and_credits#Other_international_programs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offsets_and_credits#O... ... which, doesn't feel like it fully harnesses the power of market investment in new technologies. If a corporate buyer finds a new technology that has promise, they should be able to plow money into it! (At a cheaper per-offset-CO2-ton price than alternatives) If that new tech delivers, the company just saved money. (For the same amount of CO2 offset purchase) If the new tech fails to deliver, the offset buying company should be forced to realize financial losses. Ergo, companies will be incentivized to invest in the most effective tools for future CO2 offsetting.
- asu_thomas 3y ago
  > Apparently this stuff has matured a lot in the last 10 years Matured is not the word I would choose.
  - ethbr1 3y ago
    Last time I checked on the international side of this, it was mostly an imaginary future. Now, it looks like there's non-trivial implementation work being done: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offsets_and_credits#Programs_and_markets https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offsets_and_credits#P...

by wmf 3y ago

ethbr1 3y ago

I don't believe the majority of VCM offsets are being purchased by end users. Are they? I thought they're typically purchased by corporate entities to support "net zero carbon by X year" pledges. Apparently this stuff has matured a lot in the last 10 years, and I haven't been keeping pace with it. There's already a concept of "vintage" (i.e. year carbon reduction realized in), but I still don't think they're being traded in a floating price futures model. It sounds like the international community is leaning on certification-first, then sale of only certified offsets. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offsets_and_credits#Other_international_programs https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offsets_and_credits#O... ... which, doesn't feel like it fully harnesses the power of market investment in new technologies. If a corporate buyer finds a new technology that has promise, they should be able to plow money into it! (At a cheaper per-offset-CO2-ton price than alternatives) If that new tech delivers, the company just saved money. (For the same amount of CO2 offset purchase) If the new tech fails to deliver, the offset buying company should be forced to realize financial losses. Ergo, companies will be incentivized to invest in the most effective tools for future CO2 offsetting.

asu_thomas 3y ago
> Apparently this stuff has matured a lot in the last 10 years Matured is not the word I would choose.
- ethbr1 3y ago
  Last time I checked on the international side of this, it was mostly an imaginary future. Now, it looks like there's non-trivial implementation work being done: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offsets_and_credits#Programs_and_markets https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offsets_and_credits#P...