The problem with carbon offsets in a paradigm where everyone needs to get to zero is that the only way the offset makes sense is if it is priced according to the last ton of CO2 to be accounted for, which necessarily means they are going to be incredibly expensive.

But they are instead priced to match the lowest-hanging fruit, and even then are mostly scams.

There's two offset markets, by and large. One is kind of private and the other is based on national economies. A lot lot lot of the offsets double-dip by 'selling'/listing on both markets, which makes objectively no sense.

Mostly, celebrities and businesses are dealing with the private market. There's no there there. Just invest in green technologies and brag about it -- which is indeed what real corpos trying to "go green" are increasingly doing.

For the national market, it truly makes no sense. They usually flow from the poorest nations to the richest, the offsets. Which basically means the poorest nations are letting the richest take advantage of their cheap, easy-to-hit tons of CO2 that they will have to make up at the end of the day with the last few, hardest-to-capture ones. It clearly doesn't make sense; these countries are selling a false promise that they will not and CANNOT make good on at the end of the day.

If it's some $500/ton DAC facility selling offsets, then sure. Fine. Economically inefficient way of achieving the goal that no smart business would pursue, but at least it actually is based on sound principles. That's the system working in a way that makes sense. Other than that, fuck right off with all these credits.