Solving the Mystery of Carbon Offsets

How to Choose and Use Them Wisely

From screwing in squiggly light bulbs to wrapping the hot water tank in a thermal blanket and connecting a timer, many people are taking more steps these days to use less energy more efficiently. In other words, we’re working to cut our carbon footprint. When it comes to shrinking our personal impact beyond the practicalities that we think we can control, a growing number of us are learning to consistently purchase carbon offsets. An-other name for these is greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. They’re specifically created to help neutralize the rapid rate of global warming generated by energy intensive activities.

Voluntary carbon offsets essentially work by enabling energy users to invest in renewable-energy projects that prevent greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise enter the atmosphere if traditional fuels were burned. These might include producing clean energy from solar, wind and geothermal sources as well as industrial energy-efficiency upgrades and capturing methane from livestock manure or landfills to convert into power.

It’s vital to note that purchasing carbon offsets is not a substitute for implementing personal emissions-reducing practices. Offsets are best used to reduce unavoidable emissions. Doing our part in a world-wide effort to live a more energy-conscious lifestyle is essential if we have any hope of bringing down the global GHGs currently warming our planet.

Carbon offsets are a new, still unregulated industry. So experience levels and credibility of the companies and nonprofits in the business of selling them vary. The following guidelines are helpful in shopping for a reputable provider.

Buying Tips

Choose Green-e Climate-certified offsets. Green-e Climate is the only organization that tracks the purchase all the way through. The Center for Resource Solutions’ Jeff Swenerton explains that "Green-e tracks offsets all the way [back] to the consumer, so that you’ll know where your GHG reductions are sourced from and that they are not being double-counted, but sold only to you before being retired."

Select companies whose source projects are certified and verified by an independent third party. Whereas Green-e certifies offsets, other organizations certify projects to verify the amount of environmental benefit they provide. Examples include The Voluntary Carbon Standard, The Gold Standard, California Climate Action Registry and Chicago Climate Exchange.

Look for transparency. A provider’s website should provide sufficient project details and an explanation of how money is spent.

Check industry report cards. Clean Air-Cool Planet’s Consumer’s Guide to Carbon Offsets evaluates 30 providers. It’s intended to identify providers that perform best against the report’s stated methodology.

Support current projects. Some providers sell offsets based on unverified future GHG reductions (e.g. for a facility still under construction). Swenerton believes that the best way to build demand for clean energy projects is to support existing projects currently delivering measurable GHG reductions.

Watch out for organic source projects. Reforestation and soil enrichment are beneficial, but Burtis cautions, "From a strict technological point of view, it’s difficult to verify the amount of carbon that is stored within forests and soil and for how long."Don’t get spooked by wildly different prices. Offsets are never applied to just one project; they represent a portfolio of projects. Some projects are expensive while others are less costly. Various factors, such as a project’s location and relative environmental benefits, affect pricing. The field offers no standard price for a ton of GHG reductions.

Contacts:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at EPA.gov

Green-e at Green-e.org

Voluntary Carbon Standard at V-C-S.org

The Gold Standard at CDMGoldStandard.org

California Climate Action Registry at ClimateRegistry.org

Chicago Climate Exchange at ChicagoClimateX.com

Consumer’s Guide to Carbon Offsets at CleanAir- CoolPlanet.org/ConsumersGuidetoCarbonOffsets.pdf.

Crissy Trask is the author of It’s Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living and a green lifestyle consultant based in Washington State. Her email is CT@GreenMatters.com.