As a self-proclaimed environmentalist, I care about my personal impact on the Earth. From recycling to gardening, there are multiple ways to give back to the Earth and keep our land clean. I first learned about my “carbon footprint:” the amount of greenhouse gas I emit from my daily routines. Lowering our individual carbon footprints can eventually contribute positively to the environment by lowering the amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere all around, thus fighting climate change. Every act counts.
Over the years, I have learned about and even implemented “zero waste” lifestyle changes, where I source my general care necessities like soaps, groceries and toothbrushes from sustainable shops and crafts that use biodegradable or reusable materials. This eliminates plastic waste, thus reducing my greenhouse gas emissions on a small, personal scale. I have also learned about installing “Ecosia,” as my search engine of choice because they plant trees with the funds from every search. Along with this, I have also thought of growing produce and buying local food, as well as walking or biking to destinations whenever I can. Each of these eco-minded methods help to reduce my carbon footprint.
However, some methods do not work for everyone. One more practical way for the average consumer to reduce their carbon footprint is to invest in carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are essentially certificates that are sent to a person or group who funds projects that fight climate change. An individual person or business can pay a company to continue investing and creating projects that promote and create biodiversity and fight climate change actively, reducing their own carbon footprints dramatically. In return for your payment, you have the gift of knowing that the company you have invested in gave exactly as much good back to the planet as you took from it. Hence, carbon offsets allow us to truly “offset” the exact amount of carbon emitted.
According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), “When you buy an offset, you are paying someone to cut their emissions so you don’t have to.” This is perfect for people who care about their carbon footprint, but may also want to travel by air over the summer. One example is Native Energy, a company that offers an accurate carbon footprint calculator and the ability to purchase carbon offsets at monthly, quarterly and annual rates. This company is ideal for individuals and businesses interested in carbon offsetting. A company geared more towards offering carbon offsets for large events, like concerts and parties, is Terrapass. With the calculator on Terrapass, you can enter the information about an event’s travel expenses, number of attendees, venue information, quantity of meals and hotel accommodations. The calculator will then show the carbon footprint measured by pounds or tons, equating everything to be about $5 per 1,000 pounds of carbon offset. A company to look at for large scale corporations is 3Degrees: a certified B Corporation working with business owners to provide energy and climate consulting services. Basically, there are options for everyone.
One sizable concern is whether or not companies and even countries are using carbon offsets as a “get out of jail free card” in order to avoid lowering their own carbon emissions in the first place, according to MIT. Of course, big businesses and billion-dollar corporations that pollute and deplete Earth’s resources are major contributors to climate change, compared to the minor acts of the average person. According to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), since 1998, about 100 companies out of the thousands across the globe are collectively responsible for 71% of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. With this, it is important to note that carbon offset programs, while fairly new to popular knowledge, may have increasingly become a free pass for companies to cover up their dirty tracks.
Most carbon offset programs use reforestation as a green method to give back. However, some scholars at Columbia speculate that carbon offset programs may be another form of “neocolonialism.” As it is explained, rich countries, such as the United States, are investing in the Global South through carbon offset programs, then are able to dictate how their land is maintained and plant shiny new forests near people who have lived there for, in some cases, thousands of years. This raises questions for Indigenous peoples and the control they have over their land. There may also be negative impacts on the economic systems other countries are already struggling to fix and maintain. While carbon offset programs have quite a few flaws in the air that need to be addressed, the method looks like a convenient and environmentally beneficial idea to generally build upon, improve and implement down the line.
To finalize with a concluding note, there is a certain amount of privilege one has in order to be able to buy locally grown food, wooden toothbrushes and carbon offsets. But, if a few people can choose which methods work for them in order to regulate their negative impacts and rethink the way they leave the world behind, then change can happen with every single effort.
Kristine Kearns is a second-year English major with minors in Creative Writing and Sustainability. KK947319@wcupa.edu