New Research Confirms the Failure of Carbon Offsetting

A new study from Oxford’s Smith School confirms what we've long suspected: carbon offsets have largely failed to deliver meaningful climate impact, and the majority should be phased out.

We and many other grassroots and Indigenous groups have been sounding this alarm for some time, and now the most comprehensive review has “concluded the practice is ineffective and riddled with ‘intractable’ problems.”

Offsets are tied to market-based approaches where companies can emit more and buy credits rather than reduce their emissions. Alongside systemic issues like double counting, land rights violations, and human rights abuses, this highlights why treating Nature as a commodity only perpetuates the problem it seeks to solve.

Real climate solutions will only ever be relational, rooted in care, respect, and responsibility for the living world.

You can read a summary of the findings here. Read our Carbon Position here.

The most effective, sustainable and ethical way to protect our land and forests is by truly partnering with the communities that live within them. Our focus extends far beyond carbon. We aim to support entire ecosystems, biodiversity, and the communities that rely on them. We believe in holistic action that prioritises life and ecosystems over transactional approaches.

Your support is vital in helping us address these critical environmental and social challenges.

By give only what you can each month, you can take real climate action and become a treesister today.