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Offsetting Carbon Dioxide Emissions

By: Naeem Khan

We understand carbon offsetting as the procedure of curbing GHG emissions using particular projects to offset the impact of gases released in the past. Preferably, we offset emissions when it’s almost impossible prevent them while executing our everyday activities. Offsets should not be used as a greenwashing measure to release greenhouse gases carelessly without embracing an ecofriendly lifestyle. Even though offsets can be created by curbing any of the six main GHG emissions, a single carbon offset is generally considered as the reduction in harmful gases equivalent to one metric ton of CO2.

In many western countries, companies are allocated caps as to how much emissions they can emit. Firms that can’t keep their emission level inside that preset limit have to buy carbon offsets to comply with the laws. While this mandatory requirement to maintain a low carbon footprint is the primary driver of carbon trading, there is another smaller voluntary marketplace. Those who are eco-conscious purchase offsets to decrease their own carbon footprint though they are not obliged by law to do so. This voluntary acquisition, nonetheless, is not limited to individuals, and many large organizations too buy offsets to retain a low footprint or to enhance their eco-friendly image.

To sum up, the demand for carbon offsets is primarily driven by ecological laws on official state level and secondarily by eco-friendly people feeling guilt when they emit greenhouse gases. Now let’s briefly look at how project developers meet this demand. Carbon offset providers take part in large scale projects that are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in even millions of metric tons, and as discussed earlier, each metric ton of CO2 cut produces an offset. The aim is to curb the overall emissions released into the air without worrying about the location of the project.

Greenhouse gases mix into the atmosphere and spread all over the earth rapidly; it doesn’t matter at the end of the day if you release carbon dioxide in North America, China or France as the aggregate effect will be identical for the global environment anyway. Hence, a project cutting pollution in India can be effective in offsetting emissions produced in the United States. It works well as curbing CO2 in under-developed cities is usually far cheaper than reducing the same amount of emissions in western nations.

This brief article won’t go into the debate of carbon offsetting scams. All in all, carbon offsets do play a role in cutback of greenhouse gases if generated by genuine projects and sold with maximum transparency.

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