Bipartisan Climate Bill Boosts Ineffective Offsets Schemes

Today, the Senate will vote on the Growing Climate Solutions Act, bipartisan legislation that would bolster carbon markets in the agriculture sector. The bill is opposed by a range of groups across the country, who point out that it will primarily prop up corporate agricultural interests that will profit from offsets purchased by fossil fuel companies seeking to avoid actually reducing their emissions.

In advance of the vote, Food & Water Watch Policy Director Mitch Jones released the following statement:

"The Growing Climate Solutions Act is a perfect example of how the clamor for bipartisanship undermines our ability to address the climate crisis. This bill will create offset schemes that prop up corporate agricultural interests while doing nothing to actually address the climate crisis.

"Existing offset programs fail to reduce climate-warming emissions, while actually increasing pollution in environmental justice communities. The Growing Climate Solutions Act does not correct these problems -- it will only make them worse by laying the groundwork for a national offsets program.

"The Growing Climate Solutions Act is a major priority for some of the most powerful special interests on the planet, who stand to profit handsomely from these carbon markets. We have been working hard to build opposition in the House. We don't expect this to be an easy fight, but it is one we can win, so long as House members are willing to stand up to these special interests and back real solutions to the serious challenges facing our society.

"Rather than embracing offset schemes, we need to keep fossil fuels in the ground and transition away from emissions-intensive agricultural practices like factory farming and large scale monoculture. It is disingenuous and dangerous to view offset programs as anything other than a scam to avoid real climate action and promote further consolidation in our farm and food systems."