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Carbon Neutrality: What does it mean, is it all it’s cracked up to be, how can you get involved? Just Cause gives you the low down.
The Basics:
Before you go hunting around for your 7th grade chart of the periodicals, let’s do a quick briefing on the ‘carbon’ in ‘Carbon Neutrality.’ When we talk about Carbon Neutrality, we are really talking about CO2, a green house gas. It’s what you and I exhale, its also what comes out of our car’s exhaust, and many of our power-plants. CO2 is the most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG) in our atmosphere. Carbon and the other GHGs in the atmosphere act like (you guessed it) a greenhouse. They trap the heat from the sun and keep it down here on earth. In fact without GHGs the earth would be cold and desolate. The problem with CO2 is that our atmosphere may have more greenhouse gas than it needs. GHGs have been blamed for global warming and all the flooding, draught and habitat destruction that come along with it. The US Government started tracking how much CO2 there is in the atmosphere in 19581 and it’s climbing at an alarming rate. 2 So how much carbon are you responsible for? The average person breaths about 2.2 lbs of CO2 a day, just a tiny bit compared to the CO2 produced by the cars we ride in. To give you an idea, burning just one gallon of gasoline produces around 19.6 lbs of CO2 3 and over the course of a year the average American is responsible for putting 20.3 metric tons of CO2 into the air. Compares that to 1.19 tons for the average Peruvian. 4 Ultimately though, those numbers are just averages. You can get a personal estimate of your a carbon output using an online carbon calculator. Check out Tech and Tools for a list of our favorites.
Pros:
As awareness of the danger of GHGs has grown, many individuals, companies and countries have begun to reduce their carbon production. Individuals do this by driving less and using less electricity, or switching to a source of electricity that doesn’t produce as much carbon. If a person could decrease their carbon output to zero we could describe that person as ‘Carbon Neutral.’ We can get pretty close to ‘Carbon Neutrality’ through a popular new process called Carbon Offsetting. Offsetting allows us to make up for the CO2 we produce. We can do that by removing CO2 from the atmosphere or by helping someone else reduce their output. For example: maybe you can’t give up driving your car but you can plant a bunch of trees (which literally eat carbon for lunch.) Or if you heat your home with electricity from a coal power plant that produces CO2, you could invest in a company that’s building a wind or solar power plant nearby. There are a wide variety of companies and organizations that specialize in carbon offsetting. For instance when you book a flight with some airlines, their websites automatically offer you the chance to donate to a tree planting program or a solar or wind power project. 5
Cons:
The first criticism of Carbon Neutrality comes from people who feel that global warming is not caused by humans. This is an increasingly rare point of view, but there are some groups, even scientists, who don’t believe that global warming is caused by human activity. However, in 2008 even the Bush Administration (initially slow to accept responsibility for global warming) ratified an international agreement stating “It is very likely (greater than 90% probability) that most… global warming is due to increased concentrations of human-generated GHG.” 6
There are other more mainstream objections to the carbon neutrality movement. Most of them are about the effectiveness of carbon offsetting.
One argument according to environmentalist George Monbiot is, “The trade in carbon offsets is an excuse for business as usual.” 7 George and other proponents of this argument feel that there is no adequate tradeoff for reducing the amount of carbon we produce. In their opinion, anytime we try to buy our way out of a low carbon lifestyle, we are simply passing the buck.
Other critics take issue with the idea of planting trees as an offset, because of what they call permanence. Carbon in fossil fuels, like gasoline and coal, is locked away permanently below the surface of the earth. Unless we decide to dig it up and burn it, the carbon is totally trapped. Trees on the other hand will die, burn and biodegrade on their own, releasing carbon back into the atmosphere. So having carbon in our trees may be better than having it in our atmosphere but its not the same thing as having the carbon fossilized and under our feet.
Another problem with tree planting as an offset has to do with timing. Capturing carbon takes much more time than burning it. Take a flight and you’ve already introduced loads of carbon into the atmosphere. Plant a tree that same day and it’ll take years for the tree to soak up the same amount of carbon, meanwhile the planet is getting hotter.8
Finally the offsetting business itself has some big pitfalls. The industry is new and under-regulated. Dishonest offsetting schemes enable companies to greenwash9 Sadly, many well meaning people may be tricked into wasting their money on ineffective offsetting.
One newspaper investigation found many disturbing things 10 like companies that sold carbon credits which result in absolutely zero carbon reduction. They also found that, funds from some offsetting schemes are paid to companies that would have reduced their carbon output even without additional money.11 Unfortunately, with the current state of regulation, consumers often don’t know exactly what they will get for their money.
The Bottom Line:
At B-theChange we believe that responsible global citizens must make an effort to keep their carbon output low. We also believe that there is no real substitute for living a low carbon lifestyle. On the other hand, we certainly aren’t perfect and we bet you aren’t either. Carbon offsetting, despite it’s drawbacks, really can make a difference and while we don’t believe in buying our way out of responsibility, carbon trading is a way to remind ourselves that there is a greater cost for all the CO2 we produce.
When you do offset, do research before you give your money to anyone.
One quick way to learn the motives of an offset group is to find out if it’s a for-profit company or non-profit organization. Knowing that non-profits don’t have cash as a bottom line we prefer to purchase offsets from non-profits. 12
Take Action:
Take Action:
CARBON REDUCTION
There are more ways to reduce your carbon output than could be listed on this whole website, let alone this one page. Significant carbon reduction is a lifestyle not a single action but to get you started here are a few suggestions:
1. When possible don’t drive. Walk, bike, take public transit or carpool. 9.9% 13 of carbon emissions in the world come from cars and trucks.
2. Shop local. The closer to home you’re food is grown, the less carbon is burned to get it to your mouth. 13% of carbon emissions come from transportation.
3. Turn off lights and other electronics when you aren’t using them, use less AC in the summer and less heat in the winter. 24.6% of carbon emissions come from heat and electricity production.
4. Look for more carbon saving tips and tricks on B-theChange. 
CARBON OFFSETTING
1. You can pay other people to offset your carbon… but you can also do it yourself. Anyone can plant a tree! Trees generally absorb carbon as they grow and then release it back to the atmosphere when they die. You can read a cool step by step instruction on tree planting here.
2. Start small. Offset one thing, through the non-for-profit Carbon Fund. You can offset your next airplane flight, or even better your last one. Then make a habit of it. Go here and click flight.
3. Or pick a day every year (new-years, tax-return-day, earthday) to offset your carbon footprint. For $240 the Carbon Fund can offset all the carbon an average US citizen produces. $240 may sound like a chunk of change but think of it as 66 cents a day and it’s pretty manageable. It is certainly less than your cable or cellphone bill. Know any young people? Do it for them as a gift, an investment in their future.
Written by: Ben Connors
Carbon Neutrality: What does it mean, is it all it’s cracked up to be, how can you get involved? Just Cause gives you the low down.
The Basics:
Before you go hunting around for your 7th grade chart of the periodicals, let’s do a quick briefing on the ‘carbon’ in ‘Carbon Neutrality.’ When we talk about Carbon Neutrality, we are really talking about CO2, a green house gas. It’s what you and I exhale, its also what comes out of our car’s exhaust, and many of our power-plants. CO2 is the most abundant greenhouse gas (GHG) in our atmosphere. Carbon and the other GHGs in the atmosphere act like (you guessed it) a greenhouse. They trap the heat from the sun and keep it down here on earth. In fact without GHGs the earth would be cold and desolate. The problem with CO2 is that our atmosphere may have more greenhouse gas than it needs. GHGs have been blamed for global warming and all the flooding, draught and habitat destruction that come along with it. The US Government started tracking how much CO2 there is in the atmosphere in 19581 and it’s climbing at an alarming rate. 2 So how much carbon are you responsible for? The average person breaths about 2.2 lbs of CO2 a day, just a tiny bit compared to the CO2 produced by the cars we ride in. To give you an idea, burning just one gallon of gasoline produces around 19.6 lbs of CO2 3 and over the course of a year the average American is responsible for putting 20.3 metric tons of CO2 into the air. Compares that to 1.19 tons for the average Peruvian. 4 Ultimately though, those numbers are just averages. You can get a personal estimate of your a carbon output using an online carbon calculator. Check out Tech and Tools for a list of our favorites.
Pros:
As awareness of the danger of GHGs has grown, many individuals, companies and countries have begun to reduce their carbon production. Individuals do this by driving less and using less electricity, or switching to a source of electricity that doesn’t produce as much carbon. If a person could decrease their carbon output to zero we could describe that person as ‘Carbon Neutral.’ We can get pretty close to ‘Carbon Neutrality’ through a popular new process called Carbon Offsetting. Offsetting allows us to make up for the CO2 we produce. We can do that by removing CO2 from the atmosphere or by helping someone else reduce their output. For example: maybe you can’t give up driving your car but you can plant a bunch of trees (which literally eat carbon for lunch.) Or if you heat your home with electricity from a coal power plant that produces CO2, you could invest in a company that’s building a wind or solar power plant nearby. There are a wide variety of companies and organizations that specialize in carbon offsetting. For instance when you book a flight with some airlines, their websites automatically offer you the chance to donate to a tree planting program or a solar or wind power project. 5
Cons:
The first criticism of Carbon Neutrality comes from people who feel that global warming is not caused by humans. This is an increasingly rare point of view, but there are some groups, even scientists, who don’t believe that global warming is caused by human activity. However, in 2008 even the Bush Administration (initially slow to accept responsibility for global warming) ratified an international agreement stating “It is very likely (greater than 90% probability) that most… global warming is due to increased concentrations of human-generated GHG.” 6
There are other more mainstream objections to the carbon neutrality movement. Most of them are about the effectiveness of carbon offsetting.
One argument according to environmentalist George Monbiot is, “The trade in carbon offsets is an excuse for business as usual.” 7 George and other proponents of this argument feel that there is no adequate tradeoff for reducing the amount of carbon we produce. In their opinion, anytime we try to buy our way out of a low carbon lifestyle, we are simply passing the buck.
Other critics take issue with the idea of planting trees as an offset, because of what they call permanence. Carbon in fossil fuels, like gasoline and coal, is locked away permanently below the surface of the earth. Unless we decide to dig it up and burn it, the carbon is totally trapped. Trees on the other hand will die, burn and biodegrade on their own, releasing carbon back into the atmosphere. So having carbon in our trees may be better than having it in our atmosphere but its not the same thing as having the carbon fossilized and under our feet.
Another problem with tree planting as an offset has to do with timing. Capturing carbon takes much more time than burning it. Take a flight and you’ve already introduced loads of carbon into the atmosphere. Plant a tree that same day and it’ll take years for the tree to soak up the same amount of carbon, meanwhile the planet is getting hotter.8
Finally the offsetting business itself has some big pitfalls. The industry is new and under-regulated. Dishonest offsetting schemes enable companies to greenwash9 Sadly, many well meaning people may be tricked into wasting their money on ineffective offsetting.
One newspaper investigation found many disturbing things 10 like companies that sold carbon credits which result in absolutely zero carbon reduction. They also found that, funds from some offsetting schemes are paid to companies that would have reduced their carbon output even without additional money.11 Unfortunately, with the current state of regulation, consumers often don’t know exactly what they will get for their money.
The Bottom Line:
At B-theChange we believe that responsible global citizens must make an effort to keep their carbon output low. We also believe that there is no real substitute for living a low carbon lifestyle. On the other hand, we certainly aren’t perfect and we bet you aren’t either. Carbon offsetting, despite it’s drawbacks, really can make a difference and while we don’t believe in buying our way out of responsibility, carbon trading is a way to remind ourselves that there is a greater cost for all the CO2 we produce.
When you do offset, do research before you give your money to anyone.
One quick way to learn the motives of an offset group is to find out if it’s a for-profit company or non-profit organization. Knowing that non-profits don’t have cash as a bottom line we prefer to purchase offsets from non-profits. 12
Take Action:
Take Action:
CARBON REDUCTION
There are more ways to reduce your carbon output than could be listed on this whole website, let alone this one page. Significant carbon reduction is a lifestyle not a single action but to get you started here are a few suggestions:
1. When possible don’t drive. Walk, bike, take public transit or carpool. 9.9% 13 of carbon emissions in the world come from cars and trucks.
2. Shop local. The closer to home you’re food is grown, the less carbon is burned to get it to your mouth. 13% of carbon emissions come from transportation.
3. Turn off lights and other electronics when you aren’t using them, use less AC in the summer and less heat in the winter. 24.6% of carbon emissions come from heat and electricity production.
4. Look for more carbon saving tips and tricks on B-theChange.
CARBON OFFSETTING
1. You can pay other people to offset your carbon… but you can also do it yourself. Anyone can plant a tree! Trees generally absorb carbon as they grow and then release it back to the atmosphere when they die. You can read a cool step by step instruction on tree planting here.
2. Start small. Offset one thing, through the non-for-profit Carbon Fund. You can offset your next airplane flight, or even better your last one. Then make a habit of it. Go here and click flight.
3. Or pick a day every year (new-years, tax-return-day, earthday) to offset your carbon footprint. For $240 the Carbon Fund can offset all the carbon an average US citizen produces. $240 may sound like a chunk of change but think of it as 66 cents a day and it’s pretty manageable. It is certainly less than your cable or cellphone bill. Know any young people? Do it for them as a gift, an investment in their future.
Written by: Ben Connors
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