Question

in order to combat climate change, many countries around the world have enacted policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. while these policies are generally lauded as positive steps, some critics argue that they do not go far enough. for instance, some carbon reduction policies allow companies to \offset\ their emissions by investing in forest conservation or reforestation projects rather than actually reducing their own emissions. as a result, critics worry that these policies may inadvertently ______ which choice most logically completes the text? choose 1 answer: a discourage companies from pursuing new methods to actually reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. b cause an increase in deforestation as companies seek to clear land for their industrial activities. c incentivize companies to invest in environmental recovery projects unrelated to climate change. d encourage companies to seek ways of offsetting their greenhouse gas emissions without investing in forest conservation or reforestation projects.

Explanation:

The text states that some carbon reduction policies allow companies to offset emissions by investing in forest projects instead of reducing their own emissions. Critics worry about the unintended consequence. Option A: If companies can offset without reducing their own emissions, they may be discouraged from finding ways to actually reduce emissions, which fits the critics' concern. Option B: The policies involve forest conservation/reforestation, so deforestation increase is illogical. Option C: The projects are related to climate change (forest for carbon offset), so "unrelated" is wrong. Option D: The policies allow offset via forest projects, so encouraging offset without forest projects is not the concern here.

Answer:

A. discourage companies from pursuing new methods to actually reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.