Certified carbon offset projects
What are carbon offset projects?
Carbon offset projects are projects that contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases. For example, these might be afforestation or forest conservation projects that reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere by creating additional or preserving existing wooded areas or projects that support the transition to renewable energy or biomass.
Within the context of the Kyoto Protocol, the term ‘carbon offset project’ describes a narrowly defined range of potential projects that must meet clear criteria and requirements.
As carbon offset projects are assessed and certified by impartial auditors such as the Gold Standard (GS) and the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), they are guaranteed to make an effective contribution to the fight against global warming and are reviewed on a regular basis.
Why are carbon offset projects worthwhile?
Besides reducing the volume of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, carbon offset projects have an extremely positive effect on local development. Under the Kyoto Protocol's clean development mechanism, countries can meet their emission reduction commitments by funding projects in developing countries, and the same principle applies to companies looking to offset their unabated emissions. This way, you can make sure that innovation is driven, and technology is spread all over the world.
What criteria do carbon offset projects have to meet?
One of the most important requirements is that carbon offset projects must represent additional climate action. Although pre-existing forests do help to lower the concentration of CO2, an additional contribution to the fight against global warming would be to plant new trees or protect endangered forests.
A carbon offset project’s contribution to the reduction of CO2 must also be clearly quantifiable, double counting must be excluded, the project must be permanent, and it must be certified by independent organisations.
The project standards also govern finance. This is not the same as traditional donations.: Finance is almost exclusively obtained after the fact. This means that projects are funded after they have been realised, so the purchased CO2 has already been saved. This ensures that companies make a direct contribution to the fight against global warming and that no projects fail to be implemented due to insufficient funding. Investors and financial institutions provide intermediate finance until all of a carbon offset project’s reduced or sequestered CO2 has been sold.
Carbon offset projects are always expected to have a positive effect on a local level too, such as by creating jobs, building infrastructure, improving the health of the population, or preserving biodiversity.
Regional and international carbon offset projects
As greenhouse gases are distributed evenly in the atmosphere, where in the world emissions are reduced is of little consequence to the climate. Carbon offset projects in countries in the global south support sustainable development by contributing to goals like education, peace, and health in addition to reducing CO2. Furthermore, the introduction of clean technology guarantees that environmentally harmful practices are avoided entirely.
In countries like Germany, on the other hand, there are no certified carbon offset projects because the National Forest Inventory calculates the total CO2 reduction by all the trees in the country and uses the results to improve the national greenhouse gas inventory. If businesses were also to count these emission reductions by a carbon offset project in Germany, they would be double-counted and therefore invalid.
How do you measure the success of a carbon offset project?
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations are used to measure the success of a carbon offset project. Every project furthers multiple SDGs.
To learn more about carbon offset projects, visit the ClimatePartner Academy.