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The ethics of carbon offsetting

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  • Keith Hyams
  • Tina Fawcett

Abstract

Carbon offsetting can be loosely characterized as a mechanism by which an organization or individual contributes to a scheme that is projected either to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or to deliver carbon dioxide emission reductions on the part of other organizations or individuals. An activity that has been offset therefore purports to make no long‐term net contribution to atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The ethical basis for using carbon offsetting as an approach to tackling climate change is very much contested. We seek to expose some of the underlying reasons for these ethical disagreements. We show that they relate both to empirical disagreements about what the likely benefits of offsetting are and, more fundamentally, to principled disagreements about the right way to discharge duties to deliver carbon reductions. WIREs Clim Change 2013, 4:91–98. doi: 10.1002/wcc.207 This article is categorized under: Climate, Nature, and Ethics > Ethics and Climate Change

Suggested Citation

  • Keith Hyams & Tina Fawcett, 2013. "The ethics of carbon offsetting," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 4(2), pages 91-98, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:wirecc:v:4:y:2013:i:2:p:91-98
    DOI: 10.1002/wcc.207
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    Cited by:

    1. Wim Carton & Adeniyi Asiyanbi & Silke Beck & Holly J. Buck & Jens F. Lund, 2020. "Negative emissions and the long history of carbon removal," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(6), November.
    2. Joseph A. Johnson & Jochen Theis & Adam Vitalis & Donald Young, 2020. "The Influence of Firms' Emissions Management Strategy Disclosures on Investors' Valuation Judgments†," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(2), pages 642-664, June.
    3. Femenias Rosselló, Llorenç B. & Bujosa Bestard, Angel & Riera Font, Antoni, 2024. "Is carbon footprint reduction always preferred over offsetting? An analysis of tourists' preferences in the Mallorca region," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 1371-1381.
    4. Nicolas Chevrollier & Johannes W. F. C. van Lieshout & Aikaterini Argyrou & Johannes Amelink, 2024. "Carbon emission reduction: Understanding the micro‐foundations of dynamic capabilities in companies with a strategic orientation for sustainability performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 968-984, February.

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