The Challenge of Carbon Offsetting

As I’ve begun to seriously track my carbon footprint, one of the most contentious questions I’ve encountered is: should I offset my emissions, and if so, how?

Carbon offsetting sounds simple in principle – if you emit X tonnes of CO2, you pay for projects that remove or prevent X tonnes of CO2 elsewhere. But the reality is considerably more complex.

Types of Offsetting

Avoidance Projects

These prevent emissions that would otherwise occur:

  • Renewable energy projects (solar, wind)
  • Forest conservation (preventing deforestation)
  • Methane capture from landfills

The problem: These often rely on “additionality” – proving the project wouldn’t have happened anyway. This is notoriously difficult to verify.

Removal Projects

These actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere:

  • Tree planting and reforestation
  • Soil carbon sequestration
  • Direct air capture technology

The problem: Trees take decades to sequester meaningful carbon, and can release it again through fire or disease. The timescales don’t match immediate emissions.

The Verification Problem

How do you know your offset is real? Key concerns:

  1. Additionality: Would it have happened anyway?
  2. Permanence: Will the carbon stay sequestered?
  3. Leakage: Does it just move emissions elsewhere?
  4. Measurement: Is the carbon saving accurately calculated?

I’ve found that Gold Standard and Verified Carbon Standard certifications help, but aren’t perfect guarantees.

My Approach

After considerable research, I’ve adopted a mixed strategy:

Primary Strategy: Reduce First

Offsetting should never be a substitute for reduction. My priority order:

  1. Eliminate unnecessary emissions
  2. Reduce remaining emissions where possible
  3. Only then consider offsetting unavoidable emissions

Selective Offsetting

When I do offset:

  • Focus on high-quality, verified projects
  • Prefer removal over avoidance where possible
  • Accept that perfect offsetting is impossible
  • Treat it as harm reduction, not carbon neutrality

Direct Sequestration

Where feasible, I’m exploring direct actions:

  • Supporting local rewilding projects
  • Tree planting with realistic expectations
  • Investigating soil carbon initiatives

The Sequestration Reality Check

A sobering calculation: A mature tree sequesters about 21kg of CO2 per year. A single economy transatlantic flight produces around 1.5 tonnes of CO2. That’s 71 trees’ worth of annual sequestration.

This illustrates why we can’t simply “plant our way out” of the climate crisis. The scales don’t match.

Philosophical Questions

This investigation raises deeper questions:

  • Is offsetting just modern indulgences?
  • Does it delay necessary behaviour change?
  • Or is it a pragmatic tool for unavoidable emissions?

I lean towards: it’s better than nothing, but must never replace reduction.

Practical Takeaways

For anyone considering carbon offsetting:

  1. Calculate accurately – Know your actual emissions
  2. Research providers – Look for credible verification
  3. Be realistic – Understand limitations
  4. Prioritise reduction – Offset only what you can’t eliminate
  5. Track over time – See if your footprint is actually decreasing

Moving Forward

This isn’t a solved problem. I’m still learning and adjusting my approach. The annual CO2 audits help me see what’s working and what isn’t.

The goal isn’t perfection or “carbon neutrality” (which may be impossible for individuals to truly achieve). It’s honest accounting, genuine reduction, and informed offsetting of what remains.

More importantly, it’s recognising that individual action, while necessary, isn’t sufficient. Systemic change is essential.