Sam Jonker, Stanford University -- When buying a plane ticket in 2024, most customers are presented with a puzzling option: to “offset” the carbon footprint of their flight for the low cost of around $20. As pressures to decarbonize continue to grow, airlines—and heavy industries alike—have been embracing novel solutions to reduce their carbon footprint. One solution—carbon offsetting—has grown to be a $5.5 billion industry, with shared support from both petroleum companies and environmental activists.
