Climate

Buying carbon credits to fight climate change? Here’s what to know

Problems of additionality and leakage mean you might not be making the contribution you think

digital collage art representing carbon emissions, includes a plane, "CO2," dollars, "%" and smoke stacks

More than 2 billion carbon credits have been sold on the voluntary carbon market. Critics question whether all of those credits have conferred true emissions savings. 

Illustration by Alex Williamson

By Alka Tripathy-Lang

Taylor Swift may not be the first person who comes to mind when you think about climate change. But more than once, the singer has found herself in the middle of a media storm over her carbon di­oxide emissions.