In this case the impossible dream to which I refer is carbon offsets. The old fashioned version is a flop as this article by Keerti Gopal at Ars Technica points out:
Carbon offset projects claiming to curb deforestation are significantly overestimating their impact, according to a new study published in Science on Thursday.
Sold as a way to lessen the impact of greenhouse gas emissions by allowing polluters or consumers to purchase offsets or credits that allow them to keep emitting in return for funding projects that decrease emissions elsewhere, offsets have become a high-profile model for corporate climate action.
But a systematic evaluation of 26 carbon offset projects that claim to slow the rate of potential deforestation in six countries on three continents found that the vast majority of projects did not actually slow deforestation, and those that did were significantly less effective than they claimed.
For decades I have thought that carbon offsets based on activity in faraway countries was all too likely to be a scam. Maybe these foreign projects are sincere in their efforts; maybe they aren’t but regardless of intention they’re not working. Not to be deterred Microsoft and Meta seek another way as this article at Financial Review by Agnes King points out:
Global technology and e-commerce giants are driving demand for direct air capture technology to remove carbon emissions, according to Sydney-based carbon removal company, AspiraDAC, but Australian firms are lagging behind.
Direct air capture is an embryonic industry that aims to fight climate change by extracting carbon dioxide from ordinary air then storing it or making products out of it.
AspiraDAC chief executive Julian Turecek says frontrunners like Microsoft are setting the agenda with offtake agreements for early-stage direct air capture, and they are paying a premium to remove legacy emissions dating back to when their operations commenced.
The only way for a company or country to go carbon negative is to remove more CO2 from the atmosphere than it emits, Turecek says.
My only advice is don’t take any steps you are unable or unwilling to monitor. Good intentions are sufficient only for PR campaigns not for making material progress.
