Offset Carbon Emissions
What to look for when you want to compare carbon offsets
Are you looking to compare carbon offsets to offset a flight or holiday, but want to know what is actually being done to offset your flight?
How can you get the most impact for your carbon offset dollar and which companies offer the best products? Most companies offer products that cost between $5 and $20 per tonne of CO2 offset. Cost is one factor but you may also want to consider how the carbon is offset.
Other questions, like whether it benefits the local community and if it incremental, i.e. would it have happened even if you didn't purchase the carbon offset, are also important. At Enough CO2 we think it is important to answer the following questions:
- Is the company transparent and does it have third party verification;
- Is the carbon offset incremental, also known as additionality;
- Are you emissions calculated correctly; and
- Are there additional benefits from the carbon reduction.
Asking if the carbon have been reduced even if you didn't purchase the carbon offset, is a very important point to consider.
As a rough rule of thumb a flight from the west coast of the US to the east coast uses about 1 tonne of CO2 each way, a flight from Australia to the United Kingdom uses about 4 tonnes each way. If airlines are offering prices to good to be true, they probably are.
Examples include climate change organisations that planting trees in areas that have soil erosion, reducing CO2 and protecting the natural environment at the same time. If you want to compare carbon offsets, keep the four principles above in mind and stick with reputable companies that have been around for a long time.
One of my favorite carbon offseting outfits are the people at Carbon Neutral. they are a non profit organisation that re-forest bushland in regional Australia. The benefits of their work is multi-fold, as the trees that they plant not only capture and store CO2 from the atmosphere but also help to reduce soil erosion, fight soil salinity while providing a habitat for native animals.