You’ve probably seen big companies boasting about being “carbon neutral” or achieving “net zero” emissions. It sounds great, right? They make it seem like they’re saving the planet. But let’s peel back the curtain and uncover the truth about these claims.

Breaking News: The world’s biggest companies—Amazon, Shell, Pepsi—are pledging to go “Net Zero.”

But here’s the catch: Instead of reducing emissions, most of them are just buying carbon offsets.

What’s a Carbon Offset?

It’s when a company pays money to cancel out its pollution—by funding things like tree planting or renewable energy. In theory, this makes their emissions “disappear.” But in reality? Offsets are often just an illusion.

1. The "We're Net Zero Lie"

Companies love announcing Net Zero goals. But instead of reducing their pollution, they just pay to ‘cancel it out.’

Example: The Airline Industry

Promises Net Zero airline emissions by 2050.
But instead of cutting emissions, airlines just buy carbon offsets.
Planes keep burning fuel as usual.

2. The “Pay to Pollute” Loophole

Offsets allow companies to keep polluting indefinitely. It’s like a smoker saying, “I won’t quit smoking, but I’ll pay someone else to breathe clean air for me.”

Example: Shell Oil

Pledged to go Net Zero by 2050.
Instead of cutting pollution, they spent billions on new oil drilling.
Their “carbon offsets” came from forests that were already protected.

3. The Carbon Offset Scam

Most offsets don’t actually remove CO₂ from the air. Instead, they:

Count trees that were already there
Pay to ‘protect’ forests that were never in danger
Fund projects that would have happened anyway

Example: The Nature Conservancy

Sells carbon offsets to major corporations.
But investigations found many of their forests were never at risk of being cut down.
Meaning? The carbon savings were fake.

Fun Fact

The global carbon offset market was worth $850 billion in 2021. That’s right—companies are spending billions on an illusion!