Greetings Offsetters,
It’s been a minute since we sent an update about the Offset project because a lot of life things have temporarily distracted us from the delights of examining emerging carbon markets. But we are thrilled to be back to work generating carbon credits using novel and unconventional methodologies and publishing these to our carbon registry and (soon to be launched) marketplace.
We recently contributed an essay to e-flux Architecture titled All that is Air, Melts into Air. The piece traces some of the political history of market-based responses to environmental challenges and explores how offsets make us see the world. Check it out here (along with some other great texts on the politics of computing and creative work).
We’ve also just added some new offsets to our registry that continue to explore the application of the "Industrial Sabotage as Temporary Carbon Storage" (ISTCS) methodology. ISTCS generates offsets from instances of industrial sabotage and direct action against fossil fuel infrastructure by using a carbon-counting technique called tonne-year accounting, a technique that is mostly implemented within the forestry industry. These offsets estimate the carbon benefits of some very exciting recent climate actions including the sabotage of the Lafarge-Holcim Marseille Cement Plant in Southern France, the shut down of the Schwarze Pumpe Power Station (one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in Germany), and the shut down of the Ishpingo oil field in Ecuador.
More on these below!
As always, please submit suggestions for new offsetting projects here on the site, and stay tuned for the launch of our Carbon Offset Marketplace later this year!
Best,
The Offset Team
Latest case studies on offsetting:
Lafarge-Holcim Marseille Cement Plant
Offset: 2.5 Metric Tons
200 environmental activists invaded and shut down the Lafarge-Holcim Marseille Cement Plant in Southern France. By damaging the facility’s equipment and supplies, the activists made the cement plant inoperable for several weeks.
Schwarze Pumpe Power Station
Offset: 2.1 Metric Tons
In one of the largest acts of civil disobedience against fossil fuels in Germany, activists effectively curtailed the Schwarze Pumpe power station's energy production for two days by blocking entry to the Welzow opencast mine and the plant. These actions, which reduced the power station's operations by 80%, were part of a protest against Lusatia’s coal mining industry which is cited as the highest investment in coal-fired power in Europe.
Ishpingo Oil Field Blockade
Offset: 0.9 Metric Tons
In late December 2023, the Ishpingo oil field was shut down by the indigenous Waorani Kawymeno community. This action was taken in response to Petroecuador’s failure to fulfill the public works agreement tied to the drilling operations on their ancestral lands. The shutdown lasted for three days, during which time the community and the Ministry of Energy engaged in negotiations. An agreement was eventually reached, leading to the resumption of operations at the oil field.
