Understanding Carbon Offsets

Carbon offsets are a way for anyone who drives a car, turns on a light, takes a shower in hot water, uses computer, watches a TV or takes a plane to “offset” their carbon dioxide emissions by investing in a “green” project that reduces the CO₂ in the atmosphere.

{title} Why CO₂? Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the main greenhouse gas behind global warming. Using fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal sends lots of CO₂ into the atmosphere, creating a “blanket” of CO₂ (and other greenhouse gasses that trap heat.

You can think of carbon offsets as greenhouse gas-reducing activities that can make up for your CO₂ emissions. This is often referred to as “offsetting your Carbon Footprint.” “Green” offset funds, such as those that support renewable energy projects (Common Grove), sell carbon offsets to individuals and companies. Buying a carbon offset means investing in programs that are working to reduce CO₂ in the atmosphere.

Did you know that one ton of CO₂ is emitted when you:

Travel 2,000 miles in an airplane
Drive 1,350 miles in a large sport utility vehicle
Drive 1,900 miles in a mid-sized car
Drive 6,000 miles in a hybrid gasoline-electric car
Run an average U.S. household for 60 days
Have your computer on for 10,600 hours (441 days)
Graze one Ugandan dairy cow for eight months

Did you know that to offset 1,000 tons of CO₂ you could:

Move 145 drivers from large SUVs to hybrids for one year
Run one 600 kW wind turbine for an average year
Replace 500 100-watt light bulbs with 18-watt compact fluorescent lights (10-year life)
Replace 2,000 refrigerators with the highest efficiency model (10-year life)
Install 125 home solar panels in India (20 –year life)
Plant an acre of Douglas fir trees (50 years of growth)
Protect four acres of tropical rainforest from deforestation

Source: CleanAir-Cool Planet: A Consumers’ Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers, 2006

Note: CO₂e is an abbreviation of ‘carbon dioxide equivalent’ and is the internationally recognized measure of greenhouse emissions.