Beset by Upsetting Offsets

Movement Monday 8/22/22

Hi, all.

This newsletter often feels like a good place for a rant, normally about how corporations and/or politicians are not only failing to adequately address the climate crisis, but actually making it extremely difficult to take action while continuing to exacerbate the crisis without a thought for the world. Most often I have the honor of delivering said diatribe, but this week, I’m (mostly) turning over the reins to John Oliver, who delivered an absolutely scathing summary of carbon credits and why we should be skeptical of them as a “climate solution” on the most recent episode of Last Week Tonight. ↴

After you’re done watching that horrifying-yet-excellent piece of television, dig into why you should also be skeptical of carbon capture technology in this guest essay in the New York Times. (TL;DR: It’s carbon credits 2.0: Another way for corporations to pollute freely without guilt without actually fixing anything and probably making everything worse than it was before.)

For a case study of shoddy “green” projects, check out what’s happening with a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline in Iowa in this article: “A science-based case against carbon dioxide pipelines across Iowa.” And take action with Food and Water Watch against the pipeline here!

Trying to figure out best steps forward to solving the climate crisis is complicated, but if the solution includes carrying on business as usual for the world’s mega-corporations, I think it’s fair to be quite skeptical. It’s not enough to look like climate action is being taken; it’s got to actually happen. Time to find some solutions with more substance and with the promise of enriching the lives of many, not just a few. (So maybe not Oliver’s Offsets…) 

Thanks for tuning in!