Follow the Money: The Podcast How not to save the planet
13 snips
Mar 11, 2026 Ties Gijzel, investigative reporter who exposed failing carbon offset projects, and Mira Sys, investigator and author on the carbon credit market, unpack why offsets often do not cut emissions. They trace inflated claims, strange credits like koala or breastfeeding offsets, harms to nature and indigenous people, and who profits from the trade. They question reliance on offsets instead of systemic change.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Offsetting Originated To Avoid Regulation
- Offsetting began as a voluntary way for companies to show environmental action and avoid regulation.
- Early Dutch electricity firms used offsets to signal goodwill to governments rather than cut emissions.
Communities And Nature Often Pay The Price
- Indigenous communities and nature often bear the harms of offset projects.
- Projects can restrict local livelihoods, forcing communities off land they didn't cause to be degraded while benefits flow elsewhere.
Strange Projects Like Breastfeeding Credits Exist
- Researchers found absurd projects like koala credits and 'breastfeeding credits' linking unrelated behaviors to emissions cuts.
- Breastfeeding credits claim reduced dairy-related emissions by encouraging mothers to breastfeed instead of using cow milk.