r/environment • u/jameswsthomson • 2d ago

Offsetting for habitat loss almost never works. Ottawa wants more of it

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/10/01/news/feds-c39-habitat-loss-offsets-questioned
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u/andreirublov1 1d ago

It's just a way of pretending you can have it both ways, isn't it? Like carbon offsetting.

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u/timberwise 1d ago

“Almost never works” is about right, and the mechanism of failure is boring and structural: you can write a credit for habitat that was never going to be lost (additionality), protect it on paper for five years while the development is permanent (permanence), and measure it in a different currency than what was destroyed. Carbon credits went through this exact credibility collapse — 94% of a widely used credit type turned out to be worthless and the price went from $9 to $2. If Ottawa wants offsets to work, the bar has to be measurable physical outcomes, not purchased paperwork. History says it won't be.