Carbon Credits — the easiest means to lead a carbon neutral life

“Climate change has the potential to adversely affect our environment, our communities and our economy unless we take action now - to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the impacts.”

Our earth is undoubtedly getting warm day by day due to the emissions of carbon dioxide and other Greenhouse Gases (GHG’s) from various human activities including industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion, and changes in land use, such as deforestation etc. Global warming is primarily a problem of too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There are many heat-trapping gases (from methane to water vapor), but CO2 puts us at the greatest risk of irreversible changes if it continues to accumulate unabated in the atmosphere. CO2 remains in the atmosphere longer than the other major heat-trapping gases emitted as a result of human activities. A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change.

Carbon dioxide, the most significant (both in terms of abundance and impact) anthropogenic greenhouse gas, is a natural and essential part of the atmosphere. It is required for the photosynthesis of all plants (photosynthesis is the basis of life on Earth by providing oxygen and huge quantities of organic compounds). Vital for life it is also good for our planet but only at very small concentrations. Too much concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere can turns into a deadly equation, causing adverse effects. About one third of the carbon dioxide that humans produce by burning fossil fuels is being absorbed by the world's oceans, gradually causing seawater to become more acidic.

As Global warming has threatened us with huge economic dislocations, more powerful storms, diseases, catastrophic droughts, dwindling food supplies, unprecedented floods, and vanishing coastal areas; the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system is all that is now required to save the life on our planet.

To protect ourselves, our economy, and our land from the adverse effects of climate change, we must reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. We should try to compensate for the emissions produced by funding an equivalent carbon dioxide saving somewhere else. Being carbon neutral is tough but it is our social responsibility to protect the planet for future generations.

Carbon credits are an element used to aid in regulation of the amount of gases that are being released into the air. Carbon "credits" or "offsets” help us to adopt a carbon neutral lifestyle with ease. If you want to go towards neutrality or perhaps adopt a reduce/offset strategy you can buy carbon offsets once you know your footprint.

Carbon offsetting — A great way to reduce our Carbon Footprints

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the major greenhouse gas that results from human activities and is responsible for global warming and climate change. The concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere are increasing at an accelerating rate from decade to decade due to the burning of the fossil fuels in our day-to-day life. Each of our everyday actions consumes energy and produces carbon dioxide emissions e.g. taking holiday flights, driving our cars, working with computers, heating or cooling our homes and offices etc.

Fossil fuels like crude oil, coal and natural gas, being made up of hydrocarbons release carbon dioxide when burned. The carbon dioxide which is released to the atmosphere remains there for 100 to 200 years. This leads to an increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, which in turn causes the average temperature on Earth to rise. Studies show that climate change that takes place due to increases in carbon dioxide concentration is largely irreversible for 1,000 years even after emissions stop. That's why it is absolutely necessary to take steps now in order to save the Green Planet.

In General, Carbon footprint is the term that we use to define our environmental impact in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that we release into the atmosphere. We leave our carbon footprints both directly and indirectly, and the total of our environmental impact is the sum of all these contributions. The main contributors to our carbon footprint are: household electricity and heat, transport, food and clothing. All of these can be translated into a number of tonnes of CO2 per annum released into the atmosphere. All the goods that we consume are either transported in freight vehicles, shipped around the world in containers, or both. This also contributes to our carbon footprint.

As we all are responsible for climate change, it is our responsibility to save the planet by taking active part in the mission to save the planet by reducing the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. By making small changes in our daily habits we can make a big difference. In addition to this we can also take help of carbon offsetting to completely balance out our carbon footprint. Carbon offsetting gives us the full control over our carbon footprints. We can use carbon offsets to reduce, eliminate or compensate for CO2 emissions by funding an equivalent carbon dioxide saving somewhere else. Carbon offsets are measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e). One carbon offset represents the reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide, or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases.

Carbon offsets.help us to take personal responsibility for the environmental consequences of our activities. Individuals as well as many businesses are now responding positively to climate change as they consider it a smart choice to ensure a better future for all of us.