A carbon offset is a way to compensate for the emissions we might create by matching it to a reduction in carbon somewhere else. It’s a bit like an accounting process to help ‘balance the books’. However, while this does help reduce our own impact, there’s a cost involved; you have to buy the offset.
This makes ‘offsetting’ a solid solution for getting our emissions all the way to zero after we’ve done everything else we can get to get our carbon numbers down.
Offsets are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent and to offset some of our emissions we can purchase these carbon credits, which often come from the growth of new forests and the protection of existing forests from logging. This funds forest conservation efforts that create measured, reported and verified carbon benefits.
Purchasing carbon offsets provides a way for you to access a third option which directly funds climate solutions – without having to try to find impactful climate projects yourself.
