If you’re traveling again and have any amount of anxiety over climate change, you might have considered whether to buy carbon offset credits to minimize the environmental impact of your flight.
A carbon offset is a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in one place that makes up for emissions created somewhere else.
There isn’t one single rate for carbon offsets, as it depends on where you buy them from and what you are aiming to offset.
Instead of being linked directly to output from travel, Gold Standard estimates carbon footprints based on country of residence, though you can calculate your individual impact as well and purchase offsets accordingly.
You generally don’t buy carbon offsets directly from your airline, as most partner with other organizations, projects, or marketplaces—and not all airlines use carbon offsets as their primary sustainability initiative.
The funding may not offer a benefit that wouldn’t have existed already, the project may be terminated early, or the protection provided in one location can lead to damage elsewhere.
Obviously, flying less reduces your impact significantly, so if that meeting could be over Zoom instead of in person, maybe it should be.