How to offset carbon footprint
Carbon offsetting involves balancing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by human activities, such as manufacturing, transportation or energy consumption, with actions that reduce or eliminate them elsewhere, an activity crucial to achieving the famous and desired carbon neutrality.
This concept is based on calculating the amount of GHG emitted, expressed in tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, reducing these emissions as much as possible and offsetting the irreducible amount through various strategies. These strategies include investing in projects that prevent the emission of new GHGs into the atmosphere and in projects that actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
These projects are packaged in so-called carbon credits (one credit equals one ton of carbon avoided or absorbed) and sold to companies in a global financial market. This market is divided into two: the regulated market, which is part of emissions trading schemes established by international agreements or national legislation (reduced to sectors that are very intensive in GHG emissions), and the voluntary market (which is more common and concerns the tourism sector), where companies or individuals buy credits on a voluntary basis to achieve their own objectives. Projects in the voluntary carbon market must meet certain standards and be verified by third parties to ensure their legitimacy and effectiveness.
There are different projects that effectively reduce or absorb CO2. Although the best known are renewable energy projects and reforestation projects, we can also think of forest conservation, forest management, regenerative agriculture and other more technological projects such as the direct capture of CO2 in the atmosphere. We explain them one by one so that you have all the keys:
Renewable energy projects
These projects include the generation of energy through renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal. By replacing fossil fuel-based energy sources, which emit large amounts of CO2, renewable energies significantly reduce the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere.
Reforestation projects
Reforestation involves planting trees in areas where forests have been destroyed or degraded. Trees absorb CO2 during their photosynthesis process, so planting new trees and protecting existing ones is crucial to sequester carbon. Be careful with this practice, because creating a forest is founding a complex ecosystem with many variables that guarantee its success and subsequent carbon absorption by the biomass created. For all these reasons, it is essential to find companies that guarantee the construction of a complex, native ecosystem with possibilities of success.
Forest conservation
This strategy focuses on protecting existing forests, important carbon sinks, from deforestation and degradation. Forest conservation not only helps maintain the carbon already stored in forests, but also ensures the continued absorption of CO2 by trees and soil.
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Sustainable forest management
It involves managing forests in a way that maintains their ecological, economic and social benefits while minimizing their environmental impact. This may include practices such as selective harvesting, reforestation and restoration of degraded forests.
Regenerative agriculture
This agricultural practice seeks to restore soil health, increasing its capacity to sequester carbon, among many other benefits that make these credits much more complete with many more bioindicators. It includes techniques such as crop rotation, managed grazing, reduction of tillage, integration of crops with trees(agroforestry), substitution of synthetic fertilizers, etc.
Direct capture of CO2 from the atmosphere
This innovative technology involves the use of chemical filters to extract CO2 directly from the air. The captured CO2 can then be safely stored underground or used in a variety of applications, such as the manufacture of synthetic fuels.
In addition to these projects, there are other emerging initiatives and technologies under development that also promise to be effective in reducing or absorbing CO2. These include:
Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS): combines the generation of energy from biomass with the capture and storage of the resulting CO2 emissions.
Carbon mineralization: takes advantage of certain minerals that can react chemically with CO2 to form stable compounds, allowing carbon to be stored permanently.
Use of algae and microalgae: as they are efficient in photosynthesis they can be used to capture CO2 with the additional benefit of producing biofuels and other useful products.
These initiatives vary in their effectiveness, cost and scalability, but play an important role in the global effort to reduce CO2 levels in the atmosphere and combat climate change. Their implementation and continued development are key to achieving a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.
How can a company offset its carbon footprint?
For a company to offset its carbon footprint it must first calculate its total emissions. This can be done by assessing all activities that generate GHGs, including production, electricity use, transportation and any other processes.
Once the carbon footprint has been calculated, and always after having implemented a carbon footprint reduction plan, the company can purchase carbon credits in the voluntary market. When selecting projects to invest in, it is important to consider their relevance and impact. The projects must be verifiable and produce real environmental benefits, for which it is necessary to consult experts in the field who can advise on the entire process, from calculation to compensation.