The Art World Is Finally Talking About Offsetting Its Carbon Footprint. This Simple Approach Might Be the Most Effective Way to Do That
Holding polluters accountable to their climate commitments could be a better use of funds than planting trees.
January 29, 2021
Robert Indiana's 3.5 ton artwork 'Imperial Love' being lifted by a crane at Hamburger Bahnhof museum in Berlin, Germany. Photo by Gregor Fischer/picture alliance via Getty Images.
Everyone who travels knows about carbon offsetting. At the end of the process of booking a flight, the airline provides a box, for a few dollars more, to offset the carbon emissions of your flight. Sometimes I check it, sometimes I don’t, but I always wondered, where does that money go? Does that small amount really offset the damage to the environment inherent in flying long distances? It’s an issue the art world, where flying is essential, is increasingly looking to understand.