Where does the money actually go?
When you buy a carbon offset your money goes towards a project focused on bringing about environmental change. Your money funds the existence or continuous running of this project. Take a look at some example projects
here.
How can I trust the offsets really have an impact?
It is really important that the projects we fund at trace actually reduce or remove 1 tonne of CO2e per carbon credit sold. In order to ensure this we only buy externally certified & audited projects, the Gold Standard is a certification body that we like.
The great thing about offsetting is that carbon offset projects have ancillary benefits outside the removal of carbon from the atmosphere - they often bring out social, economic and biodiversity benefits. Whilst we can place a price on the cost of the carbon offsets- there are other outcomes from these projects that are priceless! It brings about change and will shape our future.
At trace, we are involved with projects across Australia, Rwanda, Taiwan, Turkey and New Caledonia which are Gold Standard certified, all of the projects we handpick contribute to the UN’s sustainability goals too.
Why should you offset? Is it really a good thing to do?
Carbon emissions are an unavoidable part of our lifestyle. When it comes to combating climate change we can all make small (or large) changes to our lifestyle to reduce our carbon footprint but we appreciate that everyone has their limits.
Offsets are a great way to immediately have an impact whilst you are working on making other changes to your lifestyle. They provide an effective and efficient mechanism to compensate for those things that you just can’t give up.
The term ‘greenwashing’ often appears in the discussion surrounding carbon offsetting. This term is often used when companies pay to offset their emissions without any effort to reduce their carbon footprint.
Are trees an effective way to offset your carbon footprint?
We are often asked if tree planting is an effective way to offset your footprint. Trees are amazing and incredibly effective at sequestering carbon dioxide, but because every tree is different, it's difficult to accurately predict how much CO2 they remove each year and therefore we can't guarantee how much carbon they offset. This is why we use carbon offsets (or credits) to reliable and measurably offset your footprint then plant trees as an extra (because we love them!). So in short, trees can offset your footprint but it is hard to measure.
Thanks for reading!
Cat & Jo