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Are Carbon Offsets Helping Tackle Climate Change?

4.6 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Half star
Based on 210 ratings
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Mark Trexler

Carbon offsets have been a popular climate change mitigation option for individuals and companies alike, but they have also been very contentious. This course provides you with an in-depth understanding of what kind of commodity carbon offsets are, how they have evolved, the biggest challenges offsets have encountered when it comes to delivering climate change mitigation, and where offset markets might be headed next.  It answers several key questions:

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Carbon offsets have been a popular climate change mitigation option for individuals and companies alike, but they have also been very contentious. This course provides you with an in-depth understanding of what kind of commodity carbon offsets are, how they have evolved, the biggest challenges offsets have encountered when it comes to delivering climate change mitigation, and where offset markets might be headed next.  It answers several key questions:

  • What defines a carbon offset?

  • How long is long enough to demonstrate the permanence of carbon offsets?

  • How much leakage is too much when it comes to getting qualified as a carbon offset?

  • Why is additionality so important to the environmental integrity of carbon offsets?

  • Why is additionality so hard to get right, even with best efforts?

  • What's the single most important thing that would improve the integrity of offset markets?

  • What's the role of nature-based solutions in carbon offsets?

  • Where are carbon offset markets headed?

  • How can you dig deeper into carbon offsets on your own?

If you're new to carbon offsets and carbon markets, or are considering purchasing or investing in carbon offsets, take advantage of this course to leverage thousands of hours of carbon offsets experience. Your instructor worked on the first carbon offset project 35 years ago, and many other offset projects since then. He is widely published on carbon offset topics including additionality and the environmental integrity of carbon offsets, and has spent thousands of hours curating carbon offsets information and knowledge in the Climate Web, a comprehensive climate change knowledge management solution developed over the last 10 years.   

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What's inside

Syllabus

Understand how the course will comprehensively cover the landscape of understanding and implementing carbon offsets

This short lecture will introduce the scope of this course when it comes to understanding and exploring carbon offsets as a tool for mitigating climate change.

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This lesson goes back to the first carbon offset project in 1988, and provides a review of how carbon offsets became so popular so quickly. 

ZeroSix is proposing to issue carbon credits for shutting down small oil and gas wells in the United States.

We'll introduce the definition of carbon offsets, and differentiate between the criteria key to offsets' environmental integrity, and those that aren't.  The course focuses on the former, but the latter group is important to understand.

Why is offset permanence a core criterion for carbon offsets, and how is permanence being defined?

Why is "no leakage" a core criterion for carbon offsets, and how is leakage defined and quantified?

The first of three lessons focused on the key offset topic of additionality, this lesson introduces the additionality and its definition.

Most people don't recognize just how important additionality is to the environmental integrity of carbon offsets and carbon markets. This lesson explores why additionality is, for all practical purposes, indispensable.

Even if you understand the importance of additionality, you may not grasp why it's so hard to actually get additionality right. This lesson analogizes to the criminal justice system to help explain the challenge.

There is no way to ever have a perfect offset pool in which all tons are reliably additional, permanent, and not subject to leakage, so what can we expect?

Carbon offsets have been criticized on a wide variety of grounds, and we'll quickly explore what those grounds have been.

You'll hear a lot of discussion of what the main problems facing offsets has been, including fraud and double-counting, but a lot of that discussion is misleading.

We don't ask "how have we done with offsets" nearly enough, but there is some literature that has tried to answer the question. We'll explore some of those studies and their conclusions.

Many observers thought voluntary offset markets would fade away, and they started to, until the idea of "net zero" gained traction starting around 2015.  It's transformed the course of offset markets and expectations.

Nature-based solutions are all the rage today, but how will they perform in the face of climate change?

The first carbon offset scoring system was developed more than a decade ago, but it never caught on.  That might be changing, and that's a good thing.

This video provides a more in-depth review of the different approaches to scoring carbon offsets currently under consideration.

If you want to buy carbon offsets, we can't tell you which ones to buy. But we can suggest how to do your own due diligence.

If you're considering investing in carbon offsets, you really want to understand the history and challenges of offsets, and you should do some serious due diligence.

Several alternatives exist to carbon offsets, and they might be better for climate change mitigation, but will buyers purchase them?

This video walks you through some of the resources available to you in the Climate Web, as well as ways you can leverage the Climate Web into your own knowledge management system.

Part 2 of a 3 part video series providing a much more comprehensive look at the collective climate change intelligence that is the Climate Web

Part 3 of a 3 part video series providing a much more comprehensive look at the collective climate change intelligence that is the Climate Web

This video pulls together the key points and conclusions from the entire course.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Explores the evolution of carbon offsets, which helps learners understand their increasing role in corporate sustainability initiatives and environmental responsibility
Examines the challenges associated with carbon offsets, which is crucial for making informed decisions about their effectiveness and potential pitfalls
Taught by an instructor with 35 years of experience, which provides learners with insights grounded in practical experience and deep understanding
Requires learners to understand the history and challenges of offsets, which may necessitate additional research and due diligence for those new to the field
Discusses the role of nature-based solutions in carbon offsets, which is a rapidly evolving area with uncertainties regarding long-term performance

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Reviews summary

Deep dive into carbon offset integrity

According to learners, this course offers a deep and critical examination of carbon offsets, benefiting greatly from the instructor's extensive experience and unique perspective dating back to the first offset projects. Students particularly appreciated the in-depth coverage of crucial concepts like additionality, permanence, and leakage, which are key to understanding the environmental integrity of offsets. While the subject matter is inherently complex and sometimes controversial, reviewers found the course provided a solid foundation for evaluating the effectiveness and challenges of offset markets, both historical (Round 1) and current (Round 2). Some notes mentioned the use of the Climate Web resource, which provides supplementary material but might require some exploration. Overall, learners found it a valuable resource for serious study on this contentious topic.
Topic is inherently complex and requires focus.
"The subject matter is very dense and requires careful attention to fully grasp the nuances."
"Some parts were quite theoretical and required re-watching lectures to absorb."
"It's a challenging topic, and the course reflects that complexity rather than oversimplifying it."
"While well-explained, the concepts like additionality are inherently difficult to wrap your head around completely."
"Requires focused effort, but the learning is rewarding."
Supplements course but requires extra effort.
"I found the Climate Web videos helpful for understanding how to use the supplementary material."
"The Climate Web resource mentioned throughout the course is extensive, almost overwhelmingly so."
"Accessing and navigating the Climate Web adds another layer of complexity but is a valuable repository."
"The course materials themselves are self-contained, but the Climate Web allows for much deeper exploration if desired."
"It's great to have the Climate Web link for further reading, but it's not strictly necessary to complete the course."
Builds a solid understanding from the ground up.
"As someone relatively new to carbon offsets, this course provided an excellent and comprehensive introduction."
"It covers the essential concepts needed to evaluate offset markets and projects."
"I feel I have a solid foundation after taking this course to understand current discussions and debates about offsets."
"The structure is logical, starting from basics and building up to complex issues."
"Even with some prior knowledge, I found the structured approach helpful for reinforcing concepts."
Offers a critical, non-promotional viewpoint.
"This is not a course selling offsets; it's a critical look at their history, problems, and potential."
"I appreciated the balanced perspective, acknowledging the potential but also the significant limitations and failures."
"The course provides a necessary dose of realism regarding the effectiveness of many past and current offset projects."
"It encourages critical thinking rather than just accepting offsets at face value."
"Gives a clear, unbiased view of the complexities and controversies surrounding carbon offsets."
Explores core issues like additionality and leakage.
"The detailed explanation of additionality and why it's so hard to get right was the most impactful part of the course."
"It really helped clarify the critical criteria for evaluating the environmental integrity of carbon offsets."
"I now have a much better understanding of the common critiques and inherent challenges facing offset projects."
"The course doesn't shy away from the controversial aspects and delves into the real problems like permanence and leakage."
"Understanding the importance of additionality is crucial, and this course explained it very well."
Benefits from instructor's deep, historical expertise.
"The instructor's decades of experience and involvement in the first carbon offset project provide a unique and invaluable perspective."
"The instructor's expertise is clearly evident and brings significant depth to the complex topic."
"I appreciated hearing from someone who has been involved with this topic for such a long time; his insights were very helpful."
"The professor's real-world experience shines through and makes the content more relevant."
"His historical perspective on the evolution of offsets was particularly enlightening."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Are Carbon Offsets Helping Tackle Climate Change? with these activities:
Review Climate Change Fundamentals
Reinforce your understanding of the underlying science of climate change to better grasp the context and importance of carbon offsets.
Browse courses on Climate Science
Show steps
  • Review the greenhouse effect and its impact on global temperatures.
  • Summarize the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Outline the projected impacts of climate change on different regions.
Read 'Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming'
Explore a wide range of climate change mitigation strategies to better understand the role and limitations of carbon offsets.
View Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever... on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the introduction and overview of the book.
  • Select three solutions from the book and research them further.
  • Compare and contrast the selected solutions with carbon offsets.
Write a blog post on the additionality problem
Solidify your understanding of the additionality criterion by explaining it to a broader audience.
Show steps
  • Research the concept of additionality in carbon offsetting.
  • Outline the key challenges in proving additionality.
  • Write a blog post explaining additionality and its importance.
  • Share your blog post on social media and relevant forums.
Three other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all six activities
Review 'The Great Carbon Offset Swindle'
Gain a critical perspective on the carbon offset market by exploring potential issues and controversies.
View Putting Knowledge to Work on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the book, taking notes on key arguments and criticisms.
  • Research the author's background and potential biases.
  • Compare the book's arguments with information presented in the course.
Analyze a Carbon Offset Project
Apply your knowledge by conducting a thorough analysis of a real-world carbon offset project.
Show steps
  • Select a carbon offset project from a registry like Verra or Gold Standard.
  • Review the project documentation, including the project design document.
  • Assess the project's additionality, permanence, and leakage risks.
  • Write a report summarizing your findings and recommendations.
Create a Carbon Offset Scoring System
Synthesize your understanding of carbon offset criteria by designing a scoring system to evaluate project quality.
Show steps
  • Identify the key criteria for evaluating carbon offset projects.
  • Develop a scoring system with weighted criteria.
  • Apply your scoring system to several carbon offset projects.
  • Refine your scoring system based on your findings.

Career center

Learners who complete Are Carbon Offsets Helping Tackle Climate Change? will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Carbon Offset Project Manager
A carbon offset project manager oversees the development, implementation, and monitoring of carbon offset projects. Becoming familiar with carbon offsets is indispensable for this role. This course provides a deep dive into what defines a carbon offset, how they have evolved, and the challenges they face in delivering climate change mitigation. Further, the course will inform you of additionality, permanence, and leakage, all of which are critical to the environmental integrity of carbon offsets. This holistic understanding will help you become a more effective carbon offset project manager.
See salaries and explore the career path for Carbon Offset Project Manager
Carbon Trader
A carbon trader buys and sells carbon credits in carbon markets. This course provides an in-depth look at the carbon offset market. It helps gain a sense of carbon offsets, including the core criteria associated with qualifying as a carbon offset. It also covers the evolution of the carbon offset world. This is critical contextual information for anyone involved in carbon trading.
See salaries and explore the career path for Carbon Trader
Climate Change Analyst
A climate change analyst studies the impacts of climate change and develops strategies to mitigate its effects. This course offers an in-depth understanding of carbon offsets, a key tool discussed when addressing climate change. This course provides a framework for understanding the complexities surrounding carbon offsets, including permanence, leakage, and additionality, concepts that are essential for a climate change analyst to grasp. Ultimately, this background allows the climate change analyst to more critically assess proposed solutions.
See salaries and explore the career path for Climate Change Analyst
Environmental Investment Analyst
An environmental investment analyst evaluates the financial viability and environmental impact of investments in sustainable projects. As an environmental investment analyst, one must be able to assess carbon offsets as a potential investment. This course examines the history of carbon offsets, the challenges they pose, and the factors that determine how successful they are at mitigating climate change. Further, this course will help in performing due diligence and understanding the alternatives to carbon offsets. Equipped with this knowledge, an environmental investment analyst can make informed investment decisions.
See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Investment Analyst
Sustainability Consultant
A sustainability consultant helps organizations reduce their environmental impact and improve their sustainability practices. This course will provide a crucial understanding of carbon offsets, a popular yet controversial climate change mitigation strategy, which is vital for any sustainability consultant. Knowing the definition of a carbon offset, permanence, leakage and additionality is essential to advise clients properly. The course's exploration of the challenges and critiques of carbon offsets, the differences between Round 1 and Round 2 offsets, and the opportunities and pitfalls of buying or investing in them, will help you excel as a sustainability consultant.
See salaries and explore the career path for Sustainability Consultant
ESG Analyst
An ESG analyst evaluates companies based on their environmental, social, and governance practices for investors. This course will give an understanding of carbon offsets. You will understand the evolution of carbon offset markets. You will also learn about the critiques of carbon offsets and the key problems carbon offsets have encountered. With this knowledge, you can better evaluate a company's carbon reduction efforts.
See salaries and explore the career path for ESG Analyst
Sustainability Manager
A sustainability manager leads a company's sustainability efforts, reducing environmental impact and promoting responsible practices. Carbon offsets have been a popular climate change mitigation option for companies, so a background in them is helpful for sustainability managers. This course provides an in-depth understanding of what defines a carbon offset, how they have evolved, and the biggest challenges they have encountered. The course also explores the role of nature-based solutions in carbon offsets which can help a sustainability manager.
See salaries and explore the career path for Sustainability Manager
Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
A corporate social responsibility manager develops and implements strategies for companies to operate in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. This course's comprehensive overview of carbon offsets is indispensable. For example, by understanding the critiques of carbon offsets, the CSR manager can help the corporation avoid them. This course gives insight into the criteria for offsets, the problems they have encountered, and the evolution of offset markets. In turn, you can better guide your company's sustainability initiatives and minimize any negative impact.
See salaries and explore the career path for Corporate Social Responsibility Manager
Renewable Energy Project Developer
A renewable energy project developer oversees the planning, financing, and construction of renewable energy projects. In the renewable energy industry, carbon offsets are sometimes used to offset emissions. This course will provide you with insight into the definition of carbon offsets, permanence, leakage and additionality. The course's exploration of the challenges and critiques of carbon offsets, and the opportunities and pitfalls of buying or investing in them, will help you excel as a renewable energy project developer.
See salaries and explore the career path for Renewable Energy Project Developer
Environmental Advocate
An environmental advocate promotes policies and practices that protect the environment. This course covers carbon offsets as a climate change mitigation option. The course may be useful in understanding the definition of carbon offsets and differentiating between the criteria key to offsets' environmental integrity, and those that are not. It also covers the critiques of carbon offsets and the key problems carbon offsets have encountered.
See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Advocate
Environmental Policy Advisor
An environmental policy advisor develops and recommends policies related to environmental protection and sustainability. When formulating policies, it is helpful to understand the complexities surrounding carbon offsets. This course will help build a foundation for understanding the definition of carbon offsets, the importance of permanence and additionality, and the critiques they have faced. The course may also be helpful in understanding the evolution of carbon offset markets and the role of nature-based solutions, all of which will allow the environmental policy advisor to make better recommendations.
See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Policy Advisor
Climate Risk Consultant
A climate risk consultant assesses and helps organizations manage risks associated with climate change. This course discusses the importance of carbon offsets, which may be useful in understanding the role offsets play in the landscape of mitigating risk. This course explores the definition of carbon offsets, permanence, leakage and additionality to advise clients properly. The course's exploration of the challenges and critiques of carbon offsets may also inform the analysis of climate-related risks.
See salaries and explore the career path for Climate Risk Consultant
Regulatory Affairs Specialist
A regulatory affairs specialist ensures a company complies with relevant environmental regulations. This course may be useful to understand the evolution of carbon offset markets because regulatory frameworks are constantly changing. The course will allow you to understand the core criteria associated with qualifying as a carbon offset. It also discusses the critiques of carbon offsets and the key problems carbon offsets have encountered.
See salaries and explore the career path for Regulatory Affairs Specialist
Environmental Economist
An environmental economist applies economic principles to environmental issues, such as climate change. This course may be helpful for its discussion of the economics of carbon offsets markets. The course introduces you to the definition of carbon offsets, differentiating between the criteria key to offsets' environmental integrity. It also walks through the evolution of carbon offset markets and the role of nature-based solutions.
See salaries and explore the career path for Environmental Economist
Energy Efficiency Consultant
An energy efficiency consultant advises clients on how to reduce their energy consumption and improve energy efficiency. This course may be useful to understand carbon offsets. It will cover the definition of carbon offsets, the importance of permanence and additionality, and the critiques they have faced. The course may also be helpful in understanding the alternatives to carbon offsets. Equipped with this knowledge, an energy efficiency consultant can provide detailed recommendations.
See salaries and explore the career path for Energy Efficiency Consultant

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Are Carbon Offsets Helping Tackle Climate Change?.
Cover image
Drawdown
Save
Provides a broad overview of potential climate change solutions, including many that could be implemented as carbon offset projects. It offers a valuable perspective on the range of options available and their potential impact. Reading this book will help you understand the context in which carbon offsets operate and how they compare to other mitigation strategies. It useful reference for understanding the broader landscape of climate solutions.
Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed...
Paperback
$$
(Deutsch) Drawdown - der Plan: Wie wir die Erderwärmung...
Kindle Edition
$$
Drawdown. Comment inverser le cours du...
Paperback
$$$
Cover image
Putting Knowledge to Work
Save
Offers a critical perspective on the carbon offset market, highlighting potential pitfalls and areas of concern. It provides a counterpoint to more optimistic views and encourages a more nuanced understanding of the challenges involved. Reading this book will help you develop a more critical eye when evaluating carbon offset projects and claims. It is valuable as additional reading to understand the controversies surrounding carbon offsets.
Putting Knowledge to Work
Paperback
Check
Putting Knowledge to Work
Kindle Edition
Check

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Rating
4.6 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Half star
Effort
3 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructor
Mark Trexler
Language
English
Traffic lights
Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Explores the evolution of carbon offsets, which helps learners understand their increasing role in corporate sustainability initiatives and environmental responsibility
Examines the challenges associated with carbon offsets, which is crucial for making informed decisions about their effectiveness and potential pitfalls
Taught by an instructor with 35 years of experience, which provides learners with insights grounded in practical experience and deep understanding
Requires learners to understand the history and challenges of offsets, which may necessitate additional research and due diligence for those new to the field
Discusses the role of nature-based solutions in carbon offsets, which is a rapidly evolving area with uncertainties regarding long-term performance
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