Carbon offset

Climate compensation is an instrument for climate protection, in which the activities caused by certain greenhouse gas emissions are to be offset by savings in greenhouse gas emissions or storage in carbon sinks on another site. The total greenhouse gas emissions remains the same terms. Climate compensation allows to compensate for emissions only difficult and time-consuming to be avoided by funding effective measures to be carried out elsewhere. But causes no overall emissions and is therefore often considered in relation to the avoidance of emissions subordinated instrument of climate protection.

Operation

For the atmosphere of our planet, it is not important where in the world carbon dioxide ( CO2) is emitted. It is also for the global climate does not matter whether CO2 is saved in developing countries or in Central Europe. The basic idea of ​​the CO2 compensation is intended to prevent the emission of a certain quantity of greenhouse gas emissions, which is not avoided in one place in the world in a different place in the world.

To this end, serve climate protection projects. These are usually projects that avoid emissions of greenhouse gases, such as methane avoidance systems or wind turbines. It can also be sink projects that escape permanently the atmosphere and store greenhouse gases in carbon sinks, for example through reforestation. Individuals or companies that want to offset their own emissions, they collect and spend money on such projects. As a result, the saved amount of greenhouse gases are assigned unique and hence the need for climate protection projects be increased.

The transfer of the compensation payment to climate protection project is controlled by so-called certificates. The possession of a certificate stands for a certain amount (usually a ton ) of CO2 that is saved by a project. First, the operator of such a project receives the certificates and can sell them, mostly to dealers or service compensation. Who gives money for a climate protection project, acquires such certificates. The advantage of this principle is to ensure that emissions are reduced where it is economically advantageous to implement.

However, it must be ensured that no project is therefore implemented because it receives additional funding by the compensation mechanism. The technical term for this essential criterion is the additionality of emission reductions. In addition, should the Emissonsminderung permanently done (durability, permanence problem). This problem is addressed by only temporarily valid certificates that must be re- purchased again and again, or by a multi- compensation measures.

Certification and certificate trading

Currently is trading in the Certificates held on two levels, firstly at the state level on so-called obligation markets under the Kyoto Protocol and on the other on the voluntary market (Voluntary Market). The latter is currently experiencing an enormous boom. This check independent institutions benefit and quality of the projects and certify this. The two most commonly used standards for this are the "Verified Carbon Standard " (short VCS) and the "gold standard ". Both meet the required by the Kyoto Protocol criteria and requirements.

• The most widespread is the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS until 2011 Voluntary Carbon Standard). Besides the fact that projects actually act protectively climate, projects must meet additional criteria in terms of age and social benefits.
• The world's most stringent certification standard is the gold standard. Again, many other criteria must be met, to ensure sustainable development in the countries where the projects are implemented in addition to the additionality of climate protection projects. The Gold Standard certified both climate protection projects, which lead to negotiated on markets obligation emission reductions ( see CDM Gold Standard), as well as those for voluntary markets.

A voluntary compensation can take place both on voluntary markets as well as markets obligation. Conversely, however, may be on a voluntary market no compensation to meet obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. The state- regulated market is bound to exchanges ( in Germany the energy exchange in the European Energy Exchange ( EEX) in Leipzig).

Certificates are transferred over the counter, usually a compensation service as a dealer on the voluntary market. It is important that CO2 certificates are certified by recognized institutions, for example, VCS, Gold Standard, BUND, CarbonFix, CCB standards, DFG Energy and others. Only then is it guaranteed that the certificates come from actually effective climate protection projects and not be sold multiple times. The so transferred allowances are retired permanently. The British company Markit leads a worldwide database (environmental registry), in which the certificates sold can be checked for decommissioning.

We distinguish between ex -ante and ex -post certificates.

• Ex -ante certificates include future emission reductions. Ex -ante certificates make it possible to finance climate protection projects already to its launch.
• Ex -post already contain certificates carried emission reductions. They avoid over ex -ante certificates, the risk of false predictions of future emission reductions.

Compensation service

Various organizations such as Atmosfair, myclimate, air - collection, Air without borders, KlimaINVEST or natureOffice move as a service provider in the voluntary market and offer the neutral position of company, services, products or events to. You are focusing our efforts to balance individual particularly harmful activities such as flights. Products whose emissions have been fully compensated, are called " climate- friendly " often referred to as "climate neutral" or.

The initiative "CO2 neutral website " offers the offsetting emissions of websites including their users. A basic idea is everywhere that the funds can be most effectively used for climate protection projects through the bundling of compensation.

Another activity which is just in German-speaking enjoys great popularity the way print media is " carbon neutral " to produce. So now, among others, many corporate publications and the prestige -oriented annual reports of the companies Audi, Metro Group, SAP AG, Adidas and Commerzbank are climate neutral.

A different approach to the German club TheCompensators *, which recommends its donors, the same offset their total emissions to reduce emissions really effective. He participates in the EU Emissions Trading in part, buys certificates and submit them still. This reduces the participants in the EU emissions permitted volume.

Voluntary demand compensation

In Germany especially companies ask for voluntary offsetting who want to either compensate the CO2 footprint of the entire company, individual products or the business trips. More than 60 % of the 2009 certificates traded in Germany came from projects in Asia, followed by Latin America and Africa. With respect to funded projects Renewable energy accounted for the largest share, followed by reforestation and avoidance of methane emissions.

The total volume traded certificates on the voluntary market was for the year 2009 to 1.1 to 2 million tonnes of CO2 estimated. Compared to German aggregate issue size of more than nine billion CO2 equivalents and also in comparison to the international voluntary market with more than 120 million traded certificates of the German market is small.

Criticisms of the practice

• Sustainability is the practice only if in a first step all theoretically "superfluous " emissions are avoided or reduced and only the actual emissions are offset, which are not preventable. Especially the use of the term "climate neutral" for compensated emissions brings the subordination of compensation against avoidance not clearly expressed.
• Some offset projects have a long life, up the emissions can be saved again. The real saving in the year the compensation is significantly lower. Eventually, the compensation projects are even started only with a certain time lag. There are projects that allow for compensation to such far-off future savings. These include, for example, reforestation projects, which presumably stored only in 100 years the amount of carbon is used for compensation of current emissions. This problem is avoided by providers who sell certificates only ex post, if the savings have already been realized.
• Other environmental impacts of their activity continue to exist (noise, waste water, etc.).

Because in the end almost all emissions caused by humans because of requested products or services, the greatest savings opportunity is through conscious consumption of products and services. This would mean that our economy and, not least, our standard of living would be provided in its current form in question.