One Good Turn

Today I did a little more research on the topic of carbon offsets, an issue I’ve been following for a while.  There is certainly no shortage of providers today (the best known probably being TerraPass), willing to turn your dollars (or guilt, if you’re a cynic) into carbon-reducing technology of all sorts.  But it’s also kind of a murky area to many people–just what exactly do they do with your money?  Is truly offsetting your emissions?  How do you know?

The best place I know of to educate yourself on carbon offsets–the role they play in achieveing a sustainable economy, how the different technologies work, the scale of the problem, and which providers are recommended–is the information portal provided by the Tufts Climate Initiative and Stockholm Environment Institute.

One of the most surprising things I’ve learned about carbon emissions is how big a culprit air travel has become.  Did you know that a single long-distance round-trip flight contributes as much to climate change (global warming) as an entire year of driving?  I was shocked when I first read it, but I’ve verified the numbers on a few of the different emissions calculators (provided by almost all carbon offset organizations).

In general, carbon offsets are best thought of as a last resort.  Only after all attempts to reduce emissions by conserving energy, driving less, flying less, or any other means have been exhausted, should we turn to buying our way out of the problem.

I’ve bought offsets in the past from myclimate/Sustainable Travel International, based on a recommendation from the Tufts report.  I was happy with the results, I guess, but of course it’s really hard to know what’s happening.  That’s why the Tufts report (and recommendations from others) are so helpful, at least for peace of mind.  This blog is a fight against cynicism in many ways, not just this one, so I remain optimistic that some great results will come out of the carbon offset industry, and it’s worth our support and investment.