Offsetting carbon emissions - how does it work?
When you drive less, use compact fluorescent light bulbs and keep the thermostat lower in winter and higher in summer, there's still one more thing you can do to help reduce global warming.
Offsetting carbon emissions is one way to increase awareness about climate change and take another step toward global reduction of earth-warming greenhouse gas.
To offset your own emissions, you can invest in carbon offsets. The investments go to business involved in lowering carbon emissions. Renewable energy systems make sense as good investments for carbon offset funds. Biomass plants, wind farms and solar systems are examples of businesses that actually bring the world closer to being carbon neutral.
BP energy company is offering this option to their customers, stressing that they reduce emissions first and then offset. To offset the amount of carbon emissions you generate by driving about 10,000 miles in a year costs about $30.
Keep in mind that offsetting should be the last thing you do. We contribute to emissions every time we turn on our car's engine. Reduce emissions as much as possible first by reducing the amount you drive, and by driving more efficiently in more efficient vehicles with better fuels, and then neutralize with carbon offsets.