To avoid catastrophic climate change carbon emissions must be reduced by 80% by 2050. Individuals and businesses alike have an important and essential role to play in this regard and so carbon offsetting is a key tool to fight climate change. Everyday actions – like driving a car, flying and even using your computer – produce emissions of carbon dioxide. The increase in carbon dioxide seen nowadays damages the environment and enhances the risk of climate change, making this threat a global environmental, economic, and humanitarian challenge. One-way of addressing this issue is through carbon offsets.

A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gasses produced in order to compensate for, or to offset an emission made elsewhere. Practically, a carbon offset is a credit or credits that individuals or businesses purchase to negate a carbon footprint. When the carbon offsets purchased are equal to the individual or business’ footprint, the individual or company is considered carbon neutral.

• How do I offset my carbon footprint?

Individuals and businesses can offset their footprint by purchasing carbon offsets from one of the many voluntary markets focussing on reducing society’s carbon footprint. One registered carbon emission company to consider is Food and Trees for Africa, a South African enterprise. There are several benefits to purchasing ‘carbon credits’ from Food and Trees for Africa (or similar initiatives). Benefits from the planting trees initiatives include the simple fact that as trees grow they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen through photosynthesis.

Individuals or businesses can also offset their unavoidable emissions through for example Kulula Airline that includes the option of purchasing a carbon offset when booking ones flight with them.

• Should I be worried about ‘greenwashing’?

Knowing your footprint and buying offsets is not sufficient, in this lays the danger of greenwashing. You should green your event, exhibition or business, and try to avoid and reduce carbon emissions, and only then offset the unavoidable emissions. For example, rather walk somewhere than drive, or use low-energy light bulbs and water flow regulators to minimize electricity usage and water consumption.

If you want your event, exhibition or business to be carbon neutral you can undertake a carbon footprint assessment, offset your footprint, and submit your carbon footprint assessment report to the Carbon Protocol of South Africa. They give you “the stamp of approval” where after you can use the carbon neutral logo. The Carbon Protocol of South Africa adheres to the stringent Kyoto requirements, and provides comprehensive, accurate data to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of projects.

For more information on carbon footprint assessments and offsets visit Shades of Green’s web link below:

http://www.shadesofgreenevents.co.za/carbon-footprint-assessments/

For more information on how to reduce your company’s carbon footprint and as a result operational costs, visit Shades of Green’s web link below:

http://www.shadesofgreenevents.co.za/environmental-policy-development/