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Comment and Comment

Compensating for climate misdeeds can make you a worse carbon emitter

We have evolved to think we can balance good and bad behaviour in our social interactions, but when it comes to the environment, that’s flawed thinking, say Patrik Sörqvist and Linda Langeborg

By Patrik Sörqvist and Linda Langeborg

4 March 2019

A poster for offsetting carbon emissions

Is offsetting your carbon emissions a good thing, or does offsetting make you feel free to emit more?

Justin Sullivan/Getty

“Climate compensation†is in fashion. We see it everywhere: restaurants claim to be “100% climate compensated†and you can .

Psychologically, this speaks to people’s tendency to think that good deeds can compensate for harmful ones. Humans have long benefited from making up for the harm they cause others, and natural selection has not been kind to those who have failed to understand this basic rule in relationships. This has made the human…

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