Carbon offsets are an effective way for individuals and businesses to neutralize their carbon emissions by supporting projects that reduce or capture CO2 from the atmosphere. When you purchase a carbon offset, the funds are directed toward initiatives like reforestation, renewable energy projects, or carbon capture technologies. These projects either prevent future emissions, such as by promoting clean energy over fossil fuels, or actively remove existing CO2 from the atmosphere through methods like tree planting or direct air capture.
The key to carbon offsets’ effectiveness lies in the balance they create between emissions produced and those mitigated. For example, if your activities emit a certain amount of CO2, buying an equivalent number of offsets supports projects that reduce the same amount of CO2 elsewhere in the world. By doing so, the overall concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere remains lower than it would have been otherwise, contributing to global efforts to combat climate change.
