What are Carbon Offsets? July 25, 2016 Carbon Offsets are voluntary measures to counter the greenhouse gas emissions that are emitted by a person or entity. This is often in the form of a credit that represents the reductions of one entity to offset the emission of another. These credits are measured in tonnes of carbon equivalents and can include activities such as investing in cleaner forms of energy. One thing to consider when looking into projects to offset emissions would be the quality of…

What is Carbon Neutral? July 25, 2016 Carbon Neutral is the idea of making products or doing actions that will have no net greenhouse gas emissions. These measures can include: – Energy reduction: using machinery or cutting back on the amount of energy required. – Using renewable resources: this may include switching to recycled materials or switching to a more sustainable source of materials. – Offsetting greenhouse emissions: the finding more sustainable sources of energy that will make up for the greenhouses that may be…

What is Carbon Leakage? July 27, 2016 Carbon leakage is an occurrence in climate change policy where carbon emissions from one country are increased because of reductions in another. This is usually due to companies moving from the reducing country to one that has less strict climate policies. This could be because those leaving companies may find it too costly to reduce emissions and therefore find it easier to move to countries with less stringent climate change policies. National governments need to be careful in…

What is a Carbon Footprint? July 25, 2016 A Carbon Footprint is an image used to represent the amount of carbon dioxide emitted both directly and indirectly by humans. It is useful in determining the impact one has on the environment as the idea is: the more carbon emitted, the larger the footprint. The Carbon Footprint derived from and is part of a larger concept known as the ecological footprint, invented in the early 1990s by Canadian ecologist William Rees and Swiss-born regional planner Mathis…

What is the Carbon Cycle? July 25, 2016 The Carbon Cycle is the environmental system that describes the movement of carbon from organisms to the atmosphere and back. Carbon plays an important role on the Earth as all organisms are made from carbon compounds and are in themselves a part of the cycle. This allows for carbon levels to be regulated, ensuring that the global temperature is under control. The amount of carbon moving in the Carbon Cycle is fairly balanced with carbon being absorbed…