Big companies pay significant sums to "offset" their CO2 emissions by protecting trees from being cut down. Except that those trees were not going to be cut down. The fees are for greenwashing.

By contrast, projects that directly extract CO2 from the air are valid. But "offsets" meant to provide benefit in the future are chickens that might hatch some day.

Such "offsets" are used as a substitute for real cuts in emissions, and we should not trust them. Likewise, we should distrust commitments stated in terms of "net" emissions. We should demand commitments to reduce emissions.

*'Grossly Insufficient': ExxonMobil Lambasted Over Emissions Reduction Plan That Pledges No Reduction in Absolute Emissions.*

I think Exxon is counting the emissions from its own use of energy, and not the emissions that will result when the fossil fuels it extracts get burned by customers. If so, it is sidestepping the issue.