Environmental Science
The Use of Biodiversity Offsets to Mitigate Environmental Harm
Quick fact
Biodiversity offsets are used in over 100 countries, but many are criticized as 'greenwashing' because they often fail to achieve truly equivalent ecological exchange, with one study finding that only about half of offsets meet their compensation requirements.
Why this is interesting
When a new highway plows through a forest, conservationists often require developers to build a new wetland or forest elsewhere. But can a transplanted habitat ever truly replace what was destroyed?