Sounded astonishingly high, but a quick search from a few sources (one cited [1]) checks out. Now to go down a rabbit hole of how this 82 gallons breaks down and what I can do to reduce my consumption...
Seems like its BS, but lets boil it down to a simple unit example:
Company g pulls 1 unit of electricity from a coal power plant that produces just that 1 unit of electricity. By buying carbon offsets, g indirectly funds a power developer to replace the coal plant with a solar plant.
In this example, offsets produce the same net reduction as building their own solar power plant. As long as you purchase offsets from reputable organizations that require the deployment of proceeds to directly offset carbon that would not otherwise have occurred, then it works.
To me, "paying for" and "diluted" connotates negative emotions.
Cash paid in this instance is treated no different than cash in their normal operating expenses. If either generates profits in line with their current expected returns, the stock price stays the same, and everyone is indifferent to the transaction.
Same goes for stock issuance. If the expectation of the use of proceeds from the issuance are in line with the company's current expected returns, everyone is indifferent.
Your statement is still true, and the stock market jumped today on the news, so I feel my connotation is misplaced.
[1] https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/scie...