How to offset your carbon emissions

Carbon emissions and environmental destruction pretty much go hand in hand. Over the past few decades, with the rise in industrialization, our carbon emissions have witnessed an insane splurge and the environmental destruction that has followed is also quite visible. The excessive presence of carbon dioxide has created a severe imbalance in our environment and has played a huge role in damaging the ozone layer due to which global warming is becoming such a pressing issue today.

All of this leads us to reach one conclusion: we must work to reduce the unsustainable practices that we carry out without giving a second thought or at least limit the adverse effect that it is creating which leads us to the idea of carbon offsetting.

So, what is carbon offsetting?

Simply put, carbon offsetting can be defined as the action or process of compensating for the carbon dioxide emissions that have been released into the environment as a result of your practices, usually those that stem from business operations while individual-level carbon emission compensation also takes place. The carbon emissions are compensated for through participation in schemes that are designed specifically to make equivalent reductions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Now that we have the basics sorted, let's get into the real deal that is how exactly can you offset your carbon emissions.

Today with so much modern tech around and apps dedicated entirely to carbon setting, this is not difficult. Mentioned below is a step-by-step side that depicts what an average carbon offsetting task looks like. For your ease, we have also broken it down into two simple steps.

Step 1:

The first step is to calculate your emissions. If you are doing it on an individual level you can easily find an online carbon footprint calculator for yourself. If you are doing it for your business you can find online business calculators as well along with consultancy from experts that can help you effectively calculate the emissions your business or organisation is leaving behind.

Step 2:

There are different strategies that you can adopt to do this for example employing sustainable logistics by investing in vehicles that emit less carbon dioxide, optimising your routes for deliveries, etc.

Additionally, you may keep a portfolio of your carbon emission activities along with quantifiable data to keep a record and match your progress from time to time.

We hope that this article has proven to be a resourceful guide, helping you understand the different ways in which you can offset your carbon emissions.

A final reminder that we have for you is to take your journey toward sustainability very seriously but also make sure you take it slow. One step at a time. For starters, you can work on carbon offsetting, then slowly remove plastic from your life, invest in sustainable vehicles and the list goes on and on. The key here is to remain consistent and steadfast, despite whatever hurdles you might face along the way. Slow and steady wins the race!

Business Carbon Offsetting: Meaning, Benefits and Why Your Organization Should Do It (diligent.com)