Climate change has become one of the most pressing issues of our time. What makes the crisis even more concerning is the amount of misinformation being peddled by climate deniers. The impacts of this are twofold: people consider the crisis too big for them to make any real difference, or start to question the science altogether.
The truth is, taking practical action is key to building resilient ecosystems and protecting our communities from the existential climate threat. But, with so much information, it can be difficult to distinguish what’s truly going to have an impact.
Here, leading not-for-profit environmental organisation, Greenfleet breaks down the complex topic of carbon offsetting and the benefits it can have to the environment when done right.
An organisation, activity, process, event or building is considered ’carbon neutral’ when its net greenhouse gas emissions are equal to zero.
To achieve carbon neutral certification, entities must undergo a formal audit to measure all carbon emissions generated by their operations, reduce these where possible, offset any remaining emissions through the purchase of approved carbon credits, and publicly report on carbon neutrality.
This can be a rigorous and costly process. However you can also achieve carbon neutrality without pursuing formal carbon neutral certification by simply reducing where you can and offsetting the rest.
Offsetting is a way to counteract the emissions you can’t reduce or avoid – for example, your car, flights, business or household. Did you know, the average amount of carbon emitted by each person in Australia is 23 tonnes of CO2-e*?
Carbon offsetting is not a ‘get out of jail free card!’ Reducing your overall emissions is the biggest driver in the prevention of climate change, while offsetting is an effective way to counteract the emissions you can’t avoid.
As an individual, offset:
As a business, offset:
Though no silver bullet to global warming, the process of capturing carbon remains the only scalable means we have to counteract the negative impacts of climate change. By focusing on future reforestation projects, Greenfleet aim to plant enough trees in Australia and NZ to offset another 360,000 tonnes of carbon, by the end of 2021.
By supporting Greenfleet, you’re helping to restore our native ecosystem, increase biodiversity and be part of the solution to mitigate climate change. All at time when our communities need it most.
To learn how you can offset with Greenfleet, please visit their website.
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