Carbon Offsetting
Palmetto, ‘What are Carbon Offsets?’
What is Carbon Offsetting…and Why Should I Consider It?
Carbon offsetting is the process of compensating for the greenhouse gas emissions you or your business produces (from travel, operations, manufacturing, etc.) by funding projects that reduce or remove carbon elsewhere. Think of it as balancing the ‘environmental books’: you emit in one area, and you invest in another to cancel it out.
These projects might include:
Reforestation and forest preservation
Renewable energy projects (wind, solar, etc.)
Methane capture from landfills
Clean cookstoves in low-income communities
Sawa Cookstoves Project, DGB Group
Not All Offsets Are Created Equal
It’s easy to buy a ‘carbon credit’ online, but that’s only half the job. Choosing quality offsets is essential to actually making a meaningful impact. Try to look for:
Verified standards (e.g. Gold Standard, Verra/VCS, Plan Vivo)
Permanence and additionality (the project should genuinely reduce emissions beyond what would happen anyway)
Transparency in how your funds are used
Why Location Matters: Impact Beyond Carbon
Offsetting carbon in low-income regions like parts of Africa, India, and South America can bring co-benefits—that is, positive impacts beyond just emissions reduction.
For example:
Clean cookstove programs reduce deforestation and lower indoor air pollution, improving health.
Community-led reforestation creates jobs and restores ecosystems.
Solar microgrids in remote villages offer clean energy access and boost education and economic opportunity.
These kinds of projects embody the ‘people + planet’ mindset: fighting climate change while improving lives.
For Businesses with Limited Resources
If you run a small or medium-sized business and don't have the budget for massive sustainability initiatives — or the staff to run such initiatives — carbon offsetting is a practical and affordable way to start reducing your climate impact.
It’s not a an all in one, but it is:
Cost-effective
Scalable
Credible when done right
You can pair these offsets with smaller, internal changes (like reducing travel, sourcing locally, or going paperless) to gradually shift toward more sustainable operations.
Carbon offsetting isn’t just a checkbox, it’s a choice that reflects your values. Done responsibly, it’s not just about ‘neutralising’ emissions, it’s about making a real, measurable impact—especially when it benefits communities that are often most affected by climate change, yet least responsible for it.
If you’re going to offset, offset with purpose.