Do Carbon Offset Programs Really Work?

The growth of voluntary carbon offset programs seems like a wonderful way for individuals and families to acknowledge their carbon footprints, combat their carbon emissions, and help fight global climate change.

But do voluntary carbon offset programs really work? That's the question Bill Stanley of The Nature Conservancy’s Climate Change Team answers in the organization’s June Ask the Conservationist column. Stanley concludes that “well-designed carbon offset programs can have a meaningful impact on reducing the carbon emissions that cause climate change. Deforestation and land-use changes contribute approximately 20 percent of global carbon emissions. Rigorously-designed, forest-based offset programs can make a real dent in that number.”

Learn more about carbon offset programs and The Nature Conservancy’s first voluntary carbon offset project in the Tensas River Basin, Louisiana.

Or, calculate your carbon footprint with The Nature Conservancy's Carbon Footprint Calculator and consider the cost of voluntarily offsetting your impact on global climate change. We did! The Nature Conservancy's calculator estimated that our family generates 33 tons of CO2 a year. At an estimated cost of $20 to offset one ton, the calculator suggests we consider donating $660 (33 tons x $20 per ton) to a voluntary carbon offset program to address our impact on global climate change!