Theguardian iconTheguardianSep 18, 2026 ~1 min source read

Australia’s big polluters rely on carbon offsets for climate credibility. But the system looks like a house of cards | Adam Morton

It's this: the country and its polluting industries are too reliant on carbon offsets. The more reliance is placed on them, the more they look like a house of cards.

Australia’s big polluters rely on carbon offsets for climate credibility. But the system looks like a house of cards | Adam Morton

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Useful takeaways from this story.

It's this: the country and its polluting industries are too reliant on carbon offsets.

The more reliance is placed on them, the more they look like a house of cards.

Offsets can be a mind-deadening subject, but they matter.

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The useful part

It's this: the country and its polluting industries are too reliant on carbon offsets. The more reliance is placed on them, the more they look like a house of cards. Each credit is said to represent one tonne of greenhouse gas that isn't in the atmosphere and otherwise would have been.

Example or evidence

  • Offsets can be a mind-deadening subject, but they matter.

Details worth keeping

In Australia, they are known as Australian Carbon Credit Units.

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