Many companies across the world use carbon credits as part of their climate strategies to offset emissions. A carbon credit is a certificate that represents the reduction, avoidance or removal of one ton of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While organizations claim these credits help them reduce their environmental impact, there is debate about whether companies that buy credits decarbonize faster. However, an in-depth study of 89 multinationals, published in Nature Communications, reveals that companies that purchase credits do not decarbonize any quicker than those that do not.