Carbon Offset projects

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I have invested in a number of carbon offset projects, including Carbon Neutral who I’ll look at today. Initially their projects were forestry schemes predominantly based in the UK but have since expanded to a number of tropical locations.

Forestry projects have come under increasing scrutiny as carbon offsets because their offset may not be as great as previously thought, usually take years to achieve and in mid to high latitudes, such as Northern Europe, can decrease the Earth’s albedo during the snow season, so increasing warming. In the Tropics, with faster growing trees and local economic benefits, there is a better case.

However, the part of Carbon Neutral’s offering I think is quite innovative is one of their methane reduction schemes. Methane is around 21-23 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2, so the 670 tons of methane captured annually in their German agricultural methane capture scheme saves 14,100 tons of CO2-equivalent. What I particularly like about the scheme is that the captured methane is then used to make heat and electricity. It seems a well constructed and thought out scheme to me and one, I would think, that could be rolled out across many large farms saving a lot of greenhouse gas. The projected growth in the consumption of meat in the developing world with the ensuing increase in methane production means that projects like this need to become the norm in both developed and developing worlds.

Carbon Neutral also offer a guide on how to reduce CO2 emissions called Shades of Green - Some little and not so little decisions you can make today to help stop climate change.