[kazinator]

More importantly, it can only work as far as reducing all carbon emissions to zero in a world in which there are enough carbon removers to offset all the producers, so that every producer can buy enough carbon offsets (which basically means: every emitter of carbon can find someone whom they can pay to remove an equal amount of carbon).

[tunesmith]

In the long run we're all dead. Yes, it's also true that as buying carbon offsets becomes more popular, the opportunities will become more scarce and they will be come more expensive. But that would be a very good problem to have, because we're nowhere near that point currently. Right now they are cheap and widely available. We bought ours from cooleffects, and we are doing it while simultaneously working to reduce our emissions. Plus, buying carbon offsets also spurs investment in finding more carbon offset opportunities.

[kazinator]

When you hand over money for a carbon offset, what are you actually getting? Based on what evidence do you know?

[tunesmith]

For example, from the cooleffect.org FAQ:

"All carbon credits on the Cool Effect platform are from carbon projects that have been certified by one of the major international carbon credit standards, such as The Gold Standard, Verra or the Climate Action Reserve."

Ultimately you have to trust an external organization like that.