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Green Life Guide
- By Green Car Guide
- Published 15/06/2008
- About Green Cars
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Offsetting is an effective way to reduce your carbon footprint and do your bit for the environment. It works by redeeming the amount of CO2 generated by a particular activity – such as flying or driving – by paying to invest in a project that will remove the equivalent amount of CO2 from the atmosphere.
Nowadays, it’s easy to offset your emissions. Many companies have been set up on the internet to provide offsetting services, and consumers can even use ‘carbon calculators’ to estimate their personal CO2 emissions. The cash you pay to these mediators is then put into a ‘green’ project, which can be anything from building wind turbines to planting trees.
In addition to paying an extra amount to offset your carbon footprint, you can also look for providers which offer offsetting as part of the product that they offer. Car insurance company The Co-operative, for example, will commit to offsetting 20 per cent of your vehicle’s emissions when you take out a policy with them. Before committing to a product like this, you should do your research to ensure that you can’t get the same deal cheaper. Taking out car insurance with a traditional insurer such as ASDA Finance and then using an independent provider to the offsetting can work out less costly in the long run.
So, why should you offset your emission by using independent and incorporated schemes like these? Firstly, the offsetting industry is funding hundreds of projects in the developing world that not only make real reductions in greenhouse gases but also improve social conditions in third world countries. Secondly, offsetting is a gateway which raises awareness of carbon emissions and encourages consumers to cut down on the energy that they use.
But although offsetting is a good way to reduce your impact on the environment, it is no substitute for simply reducing your emissions. This is because the total amount of CO2 offset every year will represent only a tiny proportion of the 24 billion tons of carbon dioxide produced worldwide over the same time. The amount of CO2 offset in the UK every year, for example, is estimated to be around 50 million tons – that’s less that 1 per cent of Britain’s annual emissions.
The best way to do your bit for the environment is to combine offsetting with measures to reduce your personal emissions. Use less energy at home, keep your holidays local and never drive when you could as easily walk.
Nowadays, it’s easy to offset your emissions. Many companies have been set up on the internet to provide offsetting services, and consumers can even use ‘carbon calculators’ to estimate their personal CO2 emissions. The cash you pay to these mediators is then put into a ‘green’ project, which can be anything from building wind turbines to planting trees.
In addition to paying an extra amount to offset your carbon footprint, you can also look for providers which offer offsetting as part of the product that they offer. Car insurance company The Co-operative, for example, will commit to offsetting 20 per cent of your vehicle’s emissions when you take out a policy with them. Before committing to a product like this, you should do your research to ensure that you can’t get the same deal cheaper. Taking out car insurance with a traditional insurer such as ASDA Finance and then using an independent provider to the offsetting can work out less costly in the long run.
So, why should you offset your emission by using independent and incorporated schemes like these? Firstly, the offsetting industry is funding hundreds of projects in the developing world that not only make real reductions in greenhouse gases but also improve social conditions in third world countries. Secondly, offsetting is a gateway which raises awareness of carbon emissions and encourages consumers to cut down on the energy that they use.
But although offsetting is a good way to reduce your impact on the environment, it is no substitute for simply reducing your emissions. This is because the total amount of CO2 offset every year will represent only a tiny proportion of the 24 billion tons of carbon dioxide produced worldwide over the same time. The amount of CO2 offset in the UK every year, for example, is estimated to be around 50 million tons – that’s less that 1 per cent of Britain’s annual emissions.
The best way to do your bit for the environment is to combine offsetting with measures to reduce your personal emissions. Use less energy at home, keep your holidays local and never drive when you could as easily walk.