Australia’s ‘first carbon-neutral telco’: do Telstra’s environmental claims about Belong stack up? | Temperature Check

Carbon neutrality of low-cost telco Belong relies almost solely on buying overseas offsets, and how an Institute of Public Affairs fellow misread the Great Barrier Reef

• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Telstra’s low-cost mobile and internet company Belong is in the middle of a nationwide advertising campaign that’s memorable for its imagery of a sliced-off bloodless thumb crawling up a snow-driven mountain.

“The average Australian is estimated to scroll the height of Everest on their phone every month. That’s why we proudly offset our network emissions,” the advert declares.