NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Uber has set out to be carbon neutral by 2040, but the ride hailing company has picked a route in parts of Latin America that is fraught with challenges.

Since February, the U.S. group has offered customers in Mexico an “Uber Planet” option. For an additional 0.37 Mexican pesos per kilometer, they can contribute towards the purchase of carbon credits for reforestation projects and a wind farm in Oaxaca to offset the emissions caused by their rides.

Carbon offsets are controversial https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg/status/1455904676227002375. When countries and companies find it difficult or expensive to cut greenhouse gas emissions, they sometimes use offsets to meet climate goals. These allow buyers to keep polluting while paying someone else to take climate friendly action.

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