Carbon Offsets in Action | The Future of Nature

Carbon offsetting has the potential to make a real impact for communities and the environment. These two case studies from Kenya and Sierra Leone provide insights into how carbon markets enable communities to invest in and manage local conservation and restoration projects for the good of people and the planet.

Students will learn how these two communities are utilizing funds from the sale of carbon credits to invest in and sustain locally managed restoration projects that draw down carbon, increase biodiversity, and support jobs and educational gains.

Through various engagement activities, students will discuss these case studies and then make evidence-based arguments about carbon markets and their role in rebalancing Earth’s carbon cycle and providing jobs and climate resiliency. A math-based card activity lets students consider how their weekly habits contribute to humanity’s carbon emissions and then use examples of real carbon offsetting programs to try and reduce those emissions to zero.

About the Author
Michelle Blanchet is the co-founder of The Educators’ Lab—an organization that supports teacher-driven projects that create impact for students and their communities. A former teacher herself,  she has worked with a wide range of organizations to facilitate changemaking in education and support teacher innovation. She is the author of two books.