A Carbon Offset is a credit from an organization which represents the reduction of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. These offsets are measured in tons of CO2-equivalents (CO2e) and can be bought, sold, or traded through brokers, or online retailers by countries, companies or individuals[i]. Carbon offsets are like self-imposed taxes enabling green living; even if the carbon credit isn’t tangible, moving, trading and offsetting carbon emissions can make a real difference to the global environment.
What is really happening behind the scenes is that renewable energy generators displace or ‘offset’ the use of fossil fuels by acquiring energy from green sources and applying it to the power grid. Someone else will actually use the green-energy you purchased, meaning that amount of energy from non-green sources is not required and the demand for it is lessened. Other actions, such as methane capture from landfills or livestock, or carbon sequestration, through reforestation or agriculture, can also reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere[ii].
In practical terms, if you want to engage in an activity that requires energy of any kind, purchasing carbon offsets which match your predicated greenhouse gas emissions effectively makes your activity carbon neutral. It allows you to participate in any event using the existing fossil fuel-dependent facilities and infrastructure without adversely impacting the environment. Simultaneously, and perhaps most importantly, by purchasing a carbon-offset you are making non-polluting energy production, like wind or solar power, economically viable. As demand for green energy infrastructure increases, the more they are able to directly contribute to the power grid at competitive prices.
However, there is a bit of science to purchasing the best carbon offset. While planting trees has become emblematic of combating green house gases, many contend that tree planting programs are problematic, as trees and forests are not a permanent capture of the carbon dioxide and investing in trees does not redirect our dependence on fossil fuels. More complex, is the criteria of “Additionality”. A carbon offset is considered additional if it isn’t produced as part of ‘normal’ business operations: “Only by buying offsets that have met additionality criteria can you be assured that your purchase is resulting in a net benefit for the climate[iii]”. Furthermore, one should consider high quality offsets, which have been validated, verified and recorded by a reputable third-party.
So how do you know you’ve got a clean, green carbon offset? The organization Clean Air Cool Planet has published a Consumer’s Guide to Carbon Offsets for Carbon Neutrality, available online, which ranks offset vendors and addresses questions each consumer should have regarding the origins and quality of their offset[iv]. For even more detail, consult the World Wildlife Fund online publication on Comparison of Carbon Offset Standards[v]. If you need a quick tip to find high quality offsets, look for those identified as Gold Standard, widely considered to be the highest world standard for carbon offsets. The following is a list of vendors that sell Gold Standard Offsets:
Planetair: www.planetair.ca
Less: www.less.ca
My Climate: www.myclimate.org/en
Sustainable Travel International: www.my-climate.com
Climate Friendly: www.climatefriendly.com
Atmosfair: http://www.atmosfair.de/index.php?id=9&L=3
Pure: www.puretrust.org.uk/
A carbon offset can be applied to almost any daily activity from driving your car, to a wedding reception, or travel, for example, Atmosfair focuses on the high volume of carbon emission associated with air travel[vi]. On their website you can calculate the carbon emissions of a flight to anywhere in the world and immediately purchase Gold Standard carbon offsets to ensure that your vacation will not contribute to global warming.
Wind Farm[vii]
[i] David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) “http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/What_You_Can_Do/carbon_offsets.asp”; The Climate Group Top Ten Tips for Purchasing Carbon Offsets: http://www.theclimategroup.org/news_and_events/top_ten_tips_for_purchasing_carbon_offsets/
[ii] DSF
[iii] DSF
[iv] Clean Air Cool Planet http://www.cleanair-coolplanet.org/ConsumersGuidetoCarbonOffsets.pdf
[vi] Atmosfair “The Emissions Calculator”: https://www.atmosfair.de/index.php?id=9&L=3
[vii] Creative Commons Flickr Caveman_92223 July 5 2009
