Newsletter

We're combining social impact jobs + news the way that Britney and Elton combined their sweet sweet vocals. Hold us closer, Mother Nature.

Read Time:

3 min 54 sec

Here's what we got on tap for you today:

• Meme of the Week
• Carbon Offsets: Planet Heroes or Net Zero Nonsense?
• New Job Opportunities
• Win of the Week: Baxter International Supports Kidney Health in Black Communities
• Bummer of the Week: Historic Flooding in Pakistan

Meme of the Week:

Article of the Week:

Carbon Offsets: Planet Heroes or Net Zero Nonsense?

On last week’s Last Week Tonight, John Oliver got a little feisty about carbon offsets. Not gonna lie…we love watching this guy pop off.

His overall point was: major corporations are making sweeping promises to go carbon neutral by ____ [insert arbitrary goal year here] because sustainbility is sexy and the only way to hold onto millennial/gen-z customers.

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However, their plans rely heavily on purchasing carbon offsets to cancel out the CO2 their companies pump out into the stratosphere instead of making a real effort to lower their emissions in the first place.

And in the most unsurprising turn of events to ever exist…some people were not so happy about his opinions.  

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Verra, a nonprofit that certifies carbon emission reductions, published a clap-back piece called: “John Oliver Puts Punchlines Over Truth.” Yikes.

Anyone else feel like their sitting at the Thanksgiving table between your conservative uncle and twenty-something socialist cousin?

Whether you’re #teamoliver or #teamoffsets, everyone does agree on this point: focusing on emission reduction is the best way for companies of all sizes to reduce their impact on the planet. Relying primarily on carbon offsets to get to net zero is like committing the crime and asking for forgiveness later.

However, that doesn’t mean that carbon offsets are worthless. To go back to our awkward Thanksgiving dinner analogy…emission reduction should be the turkey and stuffing (or dressing, if you're from the south) while carbon offsets is the pumpkin pie for dessert.

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