More is more: Rethinking carbon reduction

At the 15th Kennedy Center Honors, Yo-Yo Ma paid tribute to his mentor, Mstislav Rostropovich, by misquoting his famous phrase, "Less is more," instead saying, "More is more." He then brought over 40 cellists on stage.

The original phrase, "less is more," is about restraint—creating impact through minimalism. The same principle applies to carbon pollution. While much of the conversation focuses on carbon offsets, we need more action, more solutions, and more impact.

The carbon economy: Spending vs. saving

Imagine Carbonville, a town where everything revolves around carbon—its emissions, storage, and impact on the atmosphere. Here, carbon accounting is measured in tons of CO2. Unfortunately, we mostly spend carbon—exceeding our budget—rather than saving or earning it.

For years, carbon offsets have attempted to balance the equation by funding projects like clean energy, reforestation, and energy efficiency. While offsets provide benefits, they have limitations:

• Additionality issues: Would these projects happen anyway?

• Counterfactual assessments: Estimating emissions that might have occurred is complex.

• Permanence concerns: If stored carbon is later released, does it count?

Offsets are valuable but imperfect. They need complementary solutions that provide faster, larger, and more permanent carbon removal.

Introducing onsets and insets

To move beyond offsets, we need new carbon removal approaches:

What are onsets?

Onsets involve actively adding carbon back into ecosystems with high durability. Examples include:

• Living carbon: Trees, mangroves, and kelp forests.

• Soil carbon storage: No-till farming and biochar applications.

• Carbon sequestration: Storing CO2 in soil and natural environments.

Onsets typically cost more than offsets but offer greater certainty and permanence in carbon storage.

What are insets?

Insets store CO2 permanently in geological formations or durable products. Examples include:

• Direct air capture and storage: Projects like CarbFix in Iceland.

• Carbon storage in deep geological formations: ADM's project in Decatur, Illinois, has already stored over 1 million tons of CO2.

• Durable carbon products: Cement, carbon fiber, plastics, and carbon black.

Insets provide iron-clad carbon removal—measurable, permanent, and transparent. However, they require higher investment costs, making widespread adoption challenging.