[kitbrennan]

> you might award carbon offsets for replacing a coal plant with solar, when that would have happened anyway just because the economics worked out better

It depends on which organisation verifies your offset, but the big three (Gold Standard, Verra VCS, and United Nations), all require _additionality_. That is where you have to prove that the offset financing is making the project happen, rather than market forces.

It’s not a flawless process, but in many cases offsetting is helping to accelerate the transition away from carbon intensive emitters.