We are constantly facing calls to reduce our “carbon footprint”. This is the net quantity of carbon dioxide (or its equivalent greenhouse gasses) which are being released into the Earth’s atmosphere due to our lifestyles. We can do this as individuals through steps like reducing fossil fuel based transport, eating less meat, buying fewer clothes or other consumer goods, having more efficient homes, planting trees or a thousand other actions.
We should all be making adjustments to incorporate these steps where possible but let’s face facts: as individual human beings living in modern societies (you’re reading this blog on the internet so I’ll assume that includes you), most of us will struggle to be “carbon neutral”, emitting no more carbon dioxide than we remove.
Society is slowly moving to a place where, perhaps in time, we will be. But until then, is there anything more we can do about our emissions?
Part of the answer to that may be carbon offsetting.
What is carbon offsetting?
Carbon offsetting is where a net producer of carbon dioxide reduces the impact of these emissions by investing in projects which themselves reduce carbon emissions. The theory is that the investment reduces more emissions than the investor is producing.
Examples of these investments include things like:
- Tree planting. Younger trees are very effective at sequestering carbon: removing it from the atmosphere and storing it.
- Promoting technology which reduces reliance on fossil fuels. This could range from funding wind and solar projects right down to providing cleaner cooking stoves for families in developing countries.
- Investing in development of carbon capture technology.
Carbon offsetting can be done by individuals and households, right up to corporation and state level (where it may be referred to as “emissions trading”. It is increasingly being encountered in relation to air travel, with some operators offering to add carbon offsetting to ticket cost based on the impact of your flight. This may be offered as an option when booking with some providers. There are moves to make this compulsory, initially for international flights.
So that all sounds great! Now you can take that long-haul holiday flight guilt free by throwing the cost of a couple of rounds of drinks at a scheme to offset the carbon you’ve had a share in producing!
Well hold on a minute because that raises one of the main criticisms of carbon offsetting.
Critics argue that carbon offsetting, if viewed like this is a way for those of us in the developed world (who generally produce more carbon emissions per person) to buy our way out of any need to change anything about our environmentally damaging lifestyles.
So let’s get this out there right now…
Carbon offsetting alone is not enough, if no other changes are made to our carbon emissions.
Where they do fit in is in helping us to reduce our footprint and, arguably more importantly, encouraging those who can afford it to fund schemes in parts of the world where they can’t. At the end of the day, when you’re struggling to provide food or clean water for your family, global climate change is a little way down your day-to-day priority list.
Many of these schemes operating in the developing world will also focus on sustainable development. They may invest in projects which not only help combat climate change but also assist local communities, improving quality of life for current and future generations and offering other, more local environmental improvements.
Where does your money go?
As with anything where you can sign up to make financial contributions to something, how do you know that the money you’re investing is actually going where you expect? That’s where a number of accreditation organisations or standards come into play. These assess carbon offsetting schemes against their standards, ensuring for example that funding is used to generate new and genuine carbon emissions savings. Some standards (like the Verified Carbon Standard) focus purely on greenhouse gas emissions while others also have criteria for social or environmental development (like the Gold Standard).
So what now?
There is a wealth of further information on carbon offsetting online, along with a wide choice of schemes. Some may be local to your country, others operate worldwide. In choosing one, be sure to check that it is accredited by a recognised standard.
Next time you’re looking to buy a charity gift for someone or book a flight, consider carbon offsetting as an option.
Bloody Environmentalist! 