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 the project. This is because some projects, though environmentally significant, may only not deal with the issue of fossil fuel dependence. At the same time, some projects may flood the market, pushing out other more legitimate programs that may be available.

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Other Sources

David Suzuki Foundation. “Carbon Offsets.” David Suzuki Foundation. http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/science/climate-change-basics/carbon-offsets/. Accessed July 26, 2016.

Dowdey, Sarah. “How Carbon Offsets Work.” How Stuff Works. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/carbon-offset.htm.