How does offsetting work?

Carbon offsetting means balancing your own carbon footprint by reducing others’ emissions. It is a smart way to take responsibility for the carbon emissions that you are causing but have not yet been able to reduce by making changes in your own lifestyle..

The money you pay is invested in climate positive projects that would not have happened without the financing from the carbon offset. Most of the time, these climate projects take place in developing countries, where the focus is on replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy such as solar and wind plants or capturing carbon dioxide by conserving or planting trees..

How does ClimateHero work with carbon offsets?

We believe that carbon offsetting should never be used as a way to rationalize or perpetuate unsustainable practices. It should only be considered as an option after first calculating and starting to reduce your carbon footprint.

To account for potential calculation errors, the calculated carbon footprint is offset by a factor of 200%.

The carbon offsetting occurs in a portfolio of climate projects that have been chosen to maximize the climate benefit for the lowest possible cost and risk. Furthermore, we make sure that our projects contribute in tangible ways to a region’s social improvement.

Offsetting in a portfolio of projects means the risk will be spread out. That is much more secure than if you as an individual were to select a single project. That is the same logic as, for example, taking on less risk by investing in a mutual fund instead of buying a single stock.

The climate projects are certified by the UN and bear the Gold Standard quality label (supported by WWF and similar organizations). This means that the projects been subject to the toughest audit requirements regarding verifiable climate benefit and social improvement.