What are carbon offsets?
• A carbon offset is an emission-reduction credit that you can buy through an organization that specializes in carbon offsets. The organization will invest the money you pay to offset your emissions into projects that produce cleaner, renewable energy, such as wind farms or solar installations, thereby replacing energy sources that produce greenhouse gases.
Carbon offsets, if they are of high quality, are the most efficient and cost-effective way to keep carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses (GHG) out of the atmosphere. However, in a market with mostly voluntary regulations, it is very important to recognize that not all offsets are equal. Before buying carbon offsets, you should first directly reduce your carbon emissions as much as possible. Where this becomes too difficult, too expensive or just unrealistic, valid carbon offsets can effectively keep an equivalent amount of GHGs out of the atmosphere. The quickest and most efficient way to stop climate change, is to reduce emissions as quickly as possible where they are most efficiently reduced. Carbon offsets give you a way to pay for an amount of emissions to be reduced or eliminated more efficiently than you could reduce your own emissions.
Its a voluntary way to offset your carbon emissions (CO2) produced by various forms of personal energy consumption. You may purchase carbon offset credits from carbon offset providers. The carbon offset market is currently unregulated, unlike the emissions trading market, which has a strict legal framework; however, a standard is emerging for the carbon offset market. What type of projects do carbon offset providers support? Carbon offset providers fund and support various types of projects. They can include reforestation, renewable energy initiatives (solar, wind, and hydro power), fuel substitution, energy conservation, and methane capture. How do I purchase carbon offsets? There are over 50 carbon offset providers and growing daily so choosing one can be confusing. Most carbon offset providers offer their offsets as a single unit of one metric ton of carbon for various prices. Each provider has a list of projects which they support. Are carbon offsets tax deductable? Yes. If they ar
A carbon offset is an emissions reduction credit. These credits are sold through organizations that invest in renewable energy projects or in energy efficiency initiatives. The Kyoto Proctocol mandates that carbon offsets must be real, verified and additional to what would have otherwise occurred. The carbon offset market allows businesses to recognize and financially support the shift from fossil fuel to renewable energy. A carbon offset credit represents one ton of greenhouse gas emission reductions or avoided emissions. The purchased VERs meet the standards set by one of several verification organizations. These include Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS), Gold Standard, California Climate Action Registry (CCAR), and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
