Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 2...

Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 23 to 30.

        Carbon offsetting, broadly construed, enables firms to meet ambitious climate pledges while it galvanizes further abatement by attaching an explicit price to emissions. By purchasing independently verified carbon credits to counterbalance unavoidable releases, companies channel finance into projects that would otherwise struggle to be viable. In this way, offsetting does not trivialize decarbonization; rather, it creates near-term leverage that accelerates the global pivot toward a low-carbon economy and complements internal reductions already under way.

        Operationally, offsetting sits within a continuous cycle: measure the organizational footprint, design a decarbonization pathway, and compensate residual emissions. While offsets cannot single-handedly resolve climate change, they enable immediate action today even as deeper structural cuts are pursued over time. Used judiciously, the mechanism buys time for technology diffusion and behavioral change without displacing hard choices. Companies that embed offsets in strategy signal accountability now, while sequencing investments that deliver absolute reductions later.

        Each carbon credit typically equals one tonne of CO₂-equivalent avoided or removed and is validated to international standards. A stringent regime of third-party audit checks that credits are real, measurable, additional, permanent, verified, and unique. They are listed transparently and retired to prevent double counting. Beyond climate metrics, many programs deliver ancillary gains – cleaner air, enhanced livelihoods, or richer biodiversity – aligning with multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals and strengthening local resilience.

        Project types range from forest protection and land restoration to renewable energy and clean-cooking initiatives, with performance tracked against a baseline and issued as credits in tCO₂e once verified. For organizations, the practical sequence is clear: define and quantify emissions, set reduction targets, cut what can be cut internally, procure high-quality credits under recognized standards, document the retired tonnage, communicate progress to stakeholders, and continue driving down operational and value-chain emissions year on year.

(Adapted from Climate Impact Partners: “Carbon offsetting enables business to meet ambitious climate goals…”)

Question 23. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 1 as a function of carbon offsetting?
A. Meeting ambitious corporate climate commitments.

B. Putting a price on carbon to drive action.

C. Directing finance into otherwise unviable projects.

D. Eliminating the need for internal decarbonization.