Carbon offsets vs direct emissions cuts, after 2 years of tracking my footprint

I spent 2 years buying carbon offsets through a reputable program. Planted trees, funded solar in India, all that. My number looked great on paper. But I noticed my actual habits barely changed. Still drove my old truck to work, still flew to see family twice a year. The offsets felt like a pass to keep doing what I was doing. Then I switched to focusing on direct cuts: took the bus 3 days a week, cut one flight, insulated my attic. It was harder and slower, but my real emissions dropped by about 30%. The offsets never pushed me to change anything. I get that offsets have a place, but I think we lean on them way too much when the hard work is just doing less. Has anyone else found that direct changes stick better than buying your way out?

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max47226d ago

Track your monthly power bill before and after insulation, that's the proof that keeps you honest.