Offsetting - in a nutshell

Offsetting carbon emissions is a topic that gets a lot of attention, so I thought I would provide a quick overview of what offsetting is about and what some of the issues are.

The idea behind offsetting is that if you do something that results in CO2 being put into the atmosphere (taking a flight, for example), you can pay a company to take some action that results in an equal amount of carbon dioxide being either not emitted or being taken out of the atmosphere. In theory, the company's action neutralises your emissions and your flight is carbon neutral.

To give an example, if you take a flight is responsible for emitting one ton of CO2, you could pay a company to plant trees that will take one ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere. Or, the company could invest your money in a source of renewable energy that will be used instead of an energy source that will emit CO2 - hydroelectric instead of coal-fired, for example.

There are a few issues to be aware of with offsetting:

• Your action is still responsible for emitting CO2 - there is a view that it is better to prevent the CO2 from getting into the atmosphere in the first place (by not taking the action) than to try to "get rid" of it later. Prevention could be seen to be better than cure.
• There is no guarantee that paying money to a company will lead to a reduction in CO2. The CO2 is not automatically erased from the atmosphere. Whether there is a reduction in CO2 depends on how effectively the company uses your money.
• Trees grow slowly, require constant management and can release their CO2 if they die or are burnt. In can take up to 30 years for a tree to grow large enough to remove one ton of CO2 from the atmosphere. While this is happening, the ton of CO2 that you emitted is contributing to global warming.
• Some offsetting companies invest your money in projects that develop renewable energy. You would need to be sure that the project will be replacing an existing, greenhouse gas emitting facility. Sometimes, money is invested in renewable energy sources that have to be built anyway - because of government requirements for example.

On the plus side for offsetting, if the emissions are going to happen anyway then investing in a reliable, effective offsetting project is better than doing nothing. The more money that is invested in new renewable energy projects the sooner renewable energy will become cheaper and more widely available.

My own view is that it is better to do what you can to avoid causing the emissions in the first place. If you absolutely can't avoid causing the emissions, then offset them with a reliable offsetting company. Climate Friendly is one of the better Australian offsetting companies.

Finally, check out the Cheat Neutral video for a humorous explanation of why offsetting is often seen as a second-best option.

First meeting for 2009

Monday night was the first North Brisbane CRAG meeting for 2009. It was fantastic to have 9 people there! Everyone had great ideas, and it was exciting to take the first concrete steps twards setting up the framework for reducing our emissions.

In a nutshell, we agreed that members will aim to reduce the carbon emissions by 20% from 2008 levels. Members who don't achieve their target will have the choice of donating time to an environmental charity or making a financial payment (which will go towards emissions reduction measures for an as yet undecided recipient). We will decide the level of the donation/payment next month.

We also had great discussions about the new ClimateSmart program, offsetting, useful books and solar hot water rebates.

The next meeting will be on a date to be advised in March - hopefully see you all then!

2009 - A big year

2009 is shaping up to be an exciting, and in fact critical, year for climate change! On the exciting front, Earth Hour is set to be a huge event this year - up to 1 billion people around the world will be participating in the single biggest environmental action on the planet! Register your participation NOW at www.earthhour.org.

By way of declaring a vested interest, I am organising Earth Hour in Queensland!

Also, the groundswell of interest in and awareness of climate change and what it will take to prevent it reaching dangerous levels is growing. New events, forums and lectures about reducing carbon emissions seem to be happening every day. It's inspiring to see so many people getting involved and taking action!

On the critical front, the conference in Copenhagen at the end of the year will set the targets for global action to reduce CO2 emissions post-Kyoto. It is so important that world leaders realise that they have a mandate from their citizens to take strong, decisive and courageous action. And the only way that they will get that mandate is if we give it to them!

For the CRAG, I'm looking forward to continuing to develop how we want the group to work and what goals we want to set this year. The first meeting for the year is on 9 February at 2 Broadway Street, Red Hill, 7pm - 8.30pm. Hope to see you there!

The Federal Government's emissions targets

On 15 December 2008, the Australian Government announced its emissions reduction targets - an unconditional commitment to a 5% reduction in CO2 emissions from 2000 levels by 2020, with a commitment of up to a 15% reduction if other developed countries agreed to similar cuts.

Emission reductions of even 15% will not be enough to prevent dangerous climate change. At that level it is quite possible that within our lifetimes we will see the Greenland and West Antarctic icesheets melt (leading to sea level rise measured in metres), the death of the Great Barrier Reef and the displacement of tens of millions of people.

If the government will not commit to taking decisive, inspiring action then we must. Personally reducing our carbon emissions as much as possible and encouraging others to do the same is the best response to the government's disappointing action.

So ride your bike, switch to green power and ask your friends and family to join the North Brisbane CRAG!

Australians' average emissions

Interesting to see how CRAG members stack up to the Australian average for CO2 emissions. We ranged from 2.6 tons to 14.5 tons, largely depending on how far people had flown in the year - amazing what a difference a long-haul flight can make! (and watch this space for ideas for carbon-friendly holidays).

According to the University of Sydney's Centre for Integrated Sustainability Analysis, the average Australian is responsible for 2.4 tons of CO2-e from car travel, 3.3 tons from home energy use and 0.75 tons from air travel, for a toal of 6.45 tons of CO2-e.

[CO2-e stands for CO2 equivalent, which is the combined global warming effect of CO2 and the other greenhouse gases (methane, for example).]

First meeting of the North Brisbane CRAG

We are up and running! Our first meeting was held on Monday the 8th, with 7 enthusiastic people getting together to eat almond M&Ms, estimate their 2008 emissions and talk about the way forward. Quite a few people who wanted to come couldn't make it, and their support is greatly appreciated!

The discussion was wide-ranging, as we talked about ideas for caps on emissions, how to approach fees for exceeding the cap and a host of other issues. The big revelation from estimating our 2008 emissions was how much air travel blows your carbon budget! Local holidays are definitely the way to go for the carbon-concerned.

The next meeting will be in February, and it would be great to see a host of new faces. Let's aim big and go for 30 members by the next meeting!

Carbon-neutrally yours

Omar

Why even reduce your carbon in the first place?

Put simply, it goes like this:

Carbon dioxide (and other gases) in the earth's atmosphere trap heat from the sun, warming the planet in a similar way to a greenhouse traps heat and warms the plants inside.

Up to a point this greenhouse effect is a good thing - without it the earth would be too cold to support human life.

However, if too much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases get into the atmosphere, the earth's temperature keeps increasing to a point (which we have now reached) where the climate and weather patterns of the planet are affected. Most of these effects (like more droughts, and fiercer storms) are detrimental to humans. The greater the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the more extreme the effects.

Carbon dioxide gets into the atmosphere in a number of ways, but since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s, a lot of that has come from burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil. When these fuels are burnt, they release carbon dioxide.

In Australia, burning fossil fuels to produce electricity and to power motor vehicles and aircraft are two of the leading contributors to the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. By reducing the amount of electricity that we use, and by reducing our use of cars and air travel, we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that we put into the atmosphere.

It will take a concerted, inspired global effort to reduce fossil fuel use if we are to reverse global warming, but it can be done!