Offset Your Carbon Emissions
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major greenhouse gas. We all contribute to CO2 emissions. To find out how much CO2 you emit, calculate your carbon footprint and find out how to reduce or offset your CO2 emissions.
In January 2007, Environment Secretary David Milliband said:
“Offsetting isn't the answer to climate change. The first step should always be to see how we can avoid and reduce emissions – through thinking about how we use energy in our homes and businesses, and the way we travel. However, some emissions can't or won't be avoided. That's where offsetting has a role to play. It's a way of compensating for the emissions produced with an equivalent carbon saving."
There are currently several offsetting providers who already meet government standards by offering Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) and/or EU Allowances (EUAs) and have said that they intend to meet the Government's Code of Best Practice. Once providers and bodies are officially accredited under the Code of Practice, they will be added to a new registry on the Defra website. For now, qualifying offset providers can be accessed via Defra's website.
Follow the debate on carbon offsetting by looking at the websites of Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund.
