5.2.1 Voluntary carbon offsets
One of the ways that individuals can shift the responsibility for emission reductions from ‘I’ and ‘we’ to ‘they’ is by paying for voluntary carbon offsets. A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions resulting from a carbon-saving project undertaken elsewhere – often in a Global South country – voluntarily paid for by individuals to compensate for (offset) the carbon footprint arising from their activities. (Organisations, such as businesses, can also buy offsets.) For example, many airlines and other companies offer carbon offsets to compensate for the emissions from personal or business flights.
However, the benefits of carbon offset schemes have been questioned. The small amount charged by airlines for offsetting the emissions of a flight, for example, bears little relationship to the actual cost of totally eliminating that amount of GHGs from the atmosphere. Tree planting schemes have also been criticised, not least because it takes years for the trees to absorb the CO2 emissions from, say, a flight made today. However, there are now projects, such as those accredited by the Gold Standard Foundation, that promise more worthwhile carbon offsets that fund renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and promote sustainable development for the local community where they take place. But whatever the type of project, a carbon offset is a payment to transfer the responsibility for reducing emissions from the person or organisation creating the emissions to someone else.
Despite such reservations, the carbon calculator allows you to offset some of your emissions, especially if you can’t reduce your footprint by individual or household actions. The amount you (theoretically) have to pay for this is based on a realistic price for eliminating each tonne of carbon emissions, not the unrealistically low offset prices charged by airlines, etc.