Some interesting things I have learned while reading about carbon offsets: Lyft and Etsy both have began offsetting 100% of their emissions (caused by driving and shipping, respectively) which is awesome. There is also a big fad about planting lots of new trees. ( Buy this and a tree is planted, watch this and a tree is planted, etc...). Yet one thing I learned this summer and have just been reminded of is that while this practice is noble, it isn't necessarily the best thing to do with your money or when you buy offsets. The reason is that the trees planted, as WIRED puts it "take around 10 to 20 years to sequester meaningful amounts of carbon from the atmosphere". From an internship I did this summer I also learned that when trees are planted, there is no guarantee they survive. This organization (Point Blue Conservation Science) aimed for around 70% survival, although it varies based on how much maintenance they receive. Things that might be more worthwhile in investing your money are clean cookstoves in developing nations or wind farms. There is also a UN mandate that by 2020 international flights will have to be offset by the airline that flies them.
