Our EcoHomeLife Explains series provides you with simple and brief explanations of commonly used terms around sustainability and eco-friendliness. Get carbon offsetting explained in simple terms in this edition of our series.
If you want to live a more sustainable life that has less impact on our environment, it’s important to understand the various terms used around this topic.
Ever come across a company telling you that they are carbon-neutral because they use carbon offsetting schemes?
I have seen airlines, car manufacturers and even energy companies advertising their green credentials using carbon offsetting.
But what is it and does it really make them more sustainable or even carbon-neutral? My research has shown that it’s not as simple as it sounds at first. Let’s get carbon offsetting explained simply and in an easy-to-understand way.
Carbon Offsetting – Definition
Using carbon offsets has become all the craze, especially among companies and industries that are responsible for high carbon dioxide emissions. So let’s find out what it actually is.
According to the Collins Dictionary online, carbon offsetting is defined as follows:
Carbon offsetting is the practice of compensating for carbon emissions, for example by planting trees.
Collins Online Dictionary
So it means that for any greenhouse gas emissions that are released into our atmosphere, something is done to offset these emissions.
The result, in theory, is that the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere doesn’t increase. So any company or individual that uses carbon offsetting can reduce their carbon footprint.
Even carbon neutrality is possible, as long as all carbon emissions are offset in some form or another.
You should also know that carbon offsetting is a practice that anyone can use. While it’s mainly used by companies, private individuals can also lower their carbon footprint using this method.
You might have already guessed it, you have to pay for it. There are many carbon offset schemes available, where you can calculate your carbon emissions and then buy a carbon offset that equals these emissions.
You get a certificate and hey presto you are carbon-neutral! At least until you do things that release carbon dioxide again, like driving your car or heating your home.
Carbon Offsetting Explained With Examples
Now that you know the meaning of carbon offsetting, let’s look at some examples to help you gain a deeper understanding of this topic.
One of the most well-known examples of carbon offsetting is tree planting. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and store it in their trunk and roots.
Some estimates say that one single tree can capture 3.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide during a 40-year life. But given that globally around 36.8bn tonnes of carbon dioxide are released each year, we would need to plant a hell of a lot of trees.
There are quite a few projects that plant trees to offset carbon emissions, but others will work to conserve the woodlands and forest we still have.
Other carbon offset projects will invest in renewable energy, such as wind or solar. This will replace the use of fossil fuels for energy production, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Yet another type of carbon offset is investing in community projects that help people become more energy efficient. One example of this type of project is to replace traditional cooking methods that involve burning wood or coal with low smoke stoves.
This will reduce the carbon emissions from these communities, allowing other communities in the world to continue to pump greenhouse gases into the environment.
Waste to energy projects capture greenhouse gases such as methane from landfills and convert them into electricity. These projects also convert the waste of smaller villages, humans and agriculture into electricity.
The Problem With Carbon Offsetting
When I first had carbon offsetting explained to me, I thought: this sounds too good to be true. And it is!
The main problem with carbon offsets is that it doesn’t reduce the carbon emissions of companies or individuals who buy them. They look for others to reduce theirs, so they can continue their way of life.
While it is great for companies to invest in community or renewable energy projects, what they should do is find ways to reduce their carbon emissions.
We all have to make changes to reduce our carbon footprint, especially large companies. Cutting carbon emissions should be the number one thing on everyone’s agenda.
Carbon offsetting can be an additional tool to help offset emissions that can’t be avoided, or not yet.
Another problem with these carbon offset projects is that not all of them are effective. It is also difficult to gauge exactly how much carbon dioxide is offset by certain projects.
There are also not enough carbon offset schemes around to offset all the carbon we produce. So our only chance is carbon reduction by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases we produce.
In our fight against climate change we have better weapons than carbon offsetting, such as stopping to burn fossil fuels or reduce the amount of plastic we produce. On a smaller, more individual scale we can swap to more eco-friendly products, like shampoo bars or eco-friendly cleaning products.
Now that you have had carbon offsetting explained to you, make up your own mind if you want to invest in it.
