New Guide IDs Carbon Offset Programs That Really Make a Difference
Not all carbon offset programs are created equal, and many well-intentioned green types can feel cheated when they discover the program they’ve chosen doesn’t reduce greenhouse gas emissions as advertised. But help is now here in the form of a new, scientifically verified list of carbon offset providers.
Developed by the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Defense Fund, the Carbon Offset Project List is being billed as a “first-of-its-kind online resource that will help businesses and consumers identify and purchase carbon offsets that represent real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.”
“Companies increasingly see the value in incorporating carbon offsets into their overall climate action strategies, but until now, buyers had to do their own homework to determine which projects were most credible,” said Thomas Murray, managing director of corporate partnerships for Environmental Defense Fund.
In developing the Carbon Offset Project List, the Environmental Defense Fund focused on finding the programs that offered high quality and verifiable greenhouse gas reductions. A committee of outside science and policy experts worked with the organization to review all potential candidates for the list.
The result is a guide that provides details on nine projects in the U.S. that work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Two other projects — one in Canada, one in Brazil — also made the cut. Most focus on destroying or reusing methane gas emissions from landfills. There’s also one program called IdleAire that provides electrifcation at truck stops across the U.S. to reduce engine idling.
To review the full list, learn more about carbon offsets and find out why these projects stood up to review, visit the Environmental Defensee Fund’s Carbon Offset List.
