Merits and criticisms aside, carbon offset has a striking semblance with the sale of indulgences practiced by the Catholic church in the middle ages. Some patterns of thought seem ingrained in us.
The difference is that indulgences goes to some random organization that doesn't use it in a way that offsets/mitigates the damage (eg. you doing adultery and then paying the church $$$ doesn't result in the adultery being reversed), whereas carbon removal actually reverses the damage (at least in theory). In that sense I see it as closer to cleaning up your own mess.
gruez|2 years ago