Ethical offsetting is antithetical to EA

Abstract

[My views are my own, not my employer’s. Thanks to Michael Dickens for reviewing this post prior to publication.] [More discussion here] Summary Spreading ethical offsetting is antithetical to EA values because it encourages people to focus on negating harm they personally cause rather than doing as much good as possible. Also, the most favored reference class for the offsets is rather vague and arbitrary. There are a few positive aspects of using ethical offsets, and situations in which advocating ethical offsets may be effective. Definition Ethical offsetting is the practice of undoing harms caused by one’s activities through donations or other acts of altruism. Examples of ethical offsetting include purchasing carbon offsets to make up for one’s carbon emissions and donating to animal charities to offset animal product consumption. More explanation and examples are available in this article.