We all produce CO2 in our lives, no matter how hard we try to prevent it. Whether it is small things like switching on your light bulb or bigger things like going on a holiday, we all have a ‘carbon footprint’. With a population of 8 billion people, these carbon emissions are becoming a serious danger to our planet. With CO2 rising in the atmosphere, more and more heat is trapped within our atmosphere causing the average temperature on earth to go up. We will have an increase in extreme weather and our oceans are on the verge of collapse due to becoming more and more acid. If you are interested you can read more about the problem of rising CO2 levels.

Carbon Offset

When you Carbon Offset you are taking responsibility for your CO2 emissions; you are helping preserve the planet as we know it.

By taking this step you will make sure that your emissions are compensated somewhere else on the planet. Say that you went on a holiday and drove the car for 1500 miles. You could offset the caused emissions by supporting a project to plant trees in the Amazon, compensating for your CO2 emissions. As a Carbon Pirate we try to prevent whatever emissions we can; but if it is unavoidable we make sure to offset what we have caused.

How does Carbon Offsetting work?

So we all are responsible for some CO2 emissions. We can try to limit it as much as we can but some things are unavoidable. Next time you are taking a drive, running the airconditioning or eating a hamburger; take a moment to realize that you are responsible for producing CO2. You could compensate for this CO2 by offsetting the carbon emissions. This way you will reduce your impact on the planet.

Take an holiday as an example.
1) You will fly to your destination and back. This will result in direct CO2 emissions caused by the plane.
2) After you enjoyed your holiday, you can calculate how much Carbon emissions you are responsible for by using an online Carbon Calculator.
3) Pick one of  great causes that will help you compensate your emissions. This can range from a Solar farm in Africa to planting a tree in your country.

How does my support reduce Carbon emissions?

When you carbon offset you will support a project aimed at reducing carbon emissions. As an example we will take a Solar Power farm in Africa. With help of your support they will be able to produce sustainable energy using the power of the sun. Instead of their old method of burning coal or other highly toxic substances, they can now enjoy safe and sustainable energy. Your support has diminished the burning of fossil fuels and will help clear the future for sustainable energy.

There are dozens of Carbon Calculators online, from very basic to quite sophisticated. As a start we would recommend only to calculate your major emissions, like transportation and food consumption.

We personally like:

It takes about one minute and will give you an estimate of the amount of CO2 you are responsible for.

What causes should I support?

You will find many amazing projects online. We usually recommend to pick something that lies close to your heart. If you feel that Solar Power is an important part of our future, support a project that is exactly doing that. Do you believe in more trees and protecting the rain forest, have a look at some great results they have achieved in Brazil and Indonesia.

When you use a carbon calculator they will already have pre-selected some projects for you. These include some great projects around the world with astonishing results. Feel free to to go for any of these. A quick search on google will also give you many options.

We more than welcome you to do your own research, but here are some of our favorites:

  • Treedom > You can choose a tree and it will be planted for you. You will even receive pictures of your tree.
  • Windmills in India
  • SolarAid > providing access to solar lights in some of the most remote regions of Malawi, Uganda and Zambia
  • CoolEarth > Protecting the rain forest

Sources:
Carbon Offset – Wikipedia
Greenseat Carbon Calculator
Treehugger
Matador
National Geographic
TheGuardian
EPA