Putting Trust In Carbon Offsetting

When the footballer, Ben Mee, moved last year from Burnley to Brentford, he took the initiative to make the transfer carbon-neutral. He offset the emissions associated with the transfer by paying for the planting of 20 trees a month for the next year. A small but significant gesture. A few months later Nottingham Forest FC decided that, rather than travel by coach to play at Blackpool (a distance of 136 miles), they would fly there and back instead.....and send the team coach as well to take the players from the ground to the airport after the match! There was no report of any efforts made to offset the increased carbon emissions.

This example demonstrates that if we are to cut global emissions by 50% in the next ten years and reach net zero by 2050, more companies and industries as a whole are going to have to commit to carbon offsetting as a tool, alongside reducing emissions where possible, in helping to achieve those objectives. It should not be for individuals