We are alarmingly close to exhausting our global "carbon budget", the amount of carbon we can emit without a 1.5°C rise in temperature. Without exceeding this threshold, only approx 250 billion tons of carbon. At our current rate of 54 billion tons of emissions each year, we will exceed the thresholds before this decade is over.  One method that can be used to mitigate this acceleration in emissions is carbon offsets. These are tradable rights or certificates that correspond to activities that reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Funds from the purchase of carbon offsets can be used to finance projects that fight climate change, and this method can serve as an alternative to individual measures that would reduce carbon emissions. (RABAB AHSAN)