Emily's Global Climate Change Scrapbook

-The goal of carbon offsets is to achieve carbon-neutrality.

-Governments, companies, and even people like you and me can purchase them to make up for our own emissions.

-Carbon offsets are preferred by many as they are simple, convenient, and time-saving, making it easy to reduce net-carbon-emissions without changing anything.

- Companies such as TerraPass sell carbon offsets.

Many Businesses, including Google, are trying out carbon offsets.

-For example, a power plant could pay a reforestation venture to plant enough trees to make up for their own carbon emissions. They save both the time and money that would have been spent finding ways to cut emissions.

-However, carbon offsets often don’t live up to their potential. Without regulation and oversight, it is impossible to ensure that all of the money spent goes to its intended purpose.

-In reality many carbon offsets only end up reducing the guilt of polluters.