NSW plan to offer emissions offsets with car registration sends wrong message, critics say

The NSW treasurer, Matt Kean, says buying $80 of credits is the equivalent to offsetting 2.4 tonnes of CO2. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Drivers in New South Wales will be offered the chance to buy carbon offsets when they renew their car registration in a step critics have described as a “gimmick” that could undermine efforts to cut transport emissions.

The NSW treasurer and energy minister, Matt Kean, announced the scheme on Friday saying it would give people “looking for practical ways to take action on climate change” more ways to cut their emissions.