Image: The fees paid to offset emissions in relation to a purchase such as flights can go towards different projects such as tree planting. Source: SBS News
HIGHLIGHTS
- The fees you pay to offset carbon go towards projects that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- It’s said the standards that offset programs must meet a huge amount of technical rigour and evidence.
- But some say not all carbon offsets are created equal.
Almost anyone who’s booked a flight in Australia online would’ve seen the option to pay a bit more to have your carbon emissions offset.
What happens when you pay to offset carbon on a purchase?
Fees paid to offset carbon emissions go towards projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Companies calculate the amount of carbon emitted in the creation of a product or delivery of a service such as a flight, and charge individuals who choose to pay it the amount needed for them to cover the cost of counteracting that amount of carbon.
Most people would be aware of tree planting initiatives, but there are a number of different types of projects carried out to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

Tasman Environmental Markets (TEM), which operates the emissions offset programs offered to Qantas and Jetstar customers, puts such fees towards rainforest preservation, renewable energy projects and replacing traditional fire stoves in rural households in developing countries with more efficient alternatives.
Closer to home, its projects within Australia include re-vegetation of bushland. It also includes controlled burning in Arnhem Land using mosaic burns carried out by, and informed by, the practices of Traditional Owners, in an effort to prevent larger, uncontrolled wildfires.
TEM estimates its clean energy projects help to avoid 80,000 tonnes of carbon a year and its burning projects have reduced emissions by 3.5 million tonnes of carbon to date.
Are all carbon offsets equal?
Declan Kuch is a vice-chancellor’s research fellow at the University of Western Sydney’s Institute for Culture and Society. He is one of a number of people concerned that consumers may not always be getting what they pay for when it comes to emissions offsetting.
“A lot of the international assets follow the pattern aid projects do, where a whole lot of intermediary organisations skim off their own share, and then the actual money that goes to the communities is minimal,” he said.
But Mr Grant said focusing on margins meant people were “missing the point”.
“We have the challenge of meeting these really ambitious climate targets, and offsets need to be supported and nurtured and encouraged,” he said.
READ MORE: Every continent ‘dangerously off track’ as extreme weather smashes global records

“One of those forests [Darawakh Wetland in NSW] was completely razed by bushfire, once a forest gets burnt down, the question is, how is that counted? Do you need to then pay for more offsets, who is keeping track of that?” Mr Kuch said.
“If you look at some of the early schemes, there’s simply no information available about the status of those trees, there’s a lot of these forestry credits, and these were developed on the assumption that they’d be around for 100 years.
“There’s no traceability, so it’s very hard to check whether the trees are even standing still, and when they’ve been cut down for some other purpose.”
Mr Grant said offset programs were audited by federal government-appointed auditors to ensure the emissions a person pays to be offset were actually offset and all factors and variables were taken into account in the calculations made within offsetting projects.
“offset programs were audited by federal government-appointed auditors to ensure the emissions a person pays to be offset were actually offset and all factors and variables were taken into account in the calculations made within offsetting projects.”
He also said international standards organisation Verra provided an additional layer of credibility to the work done through offset projects to ensure permanence had been factored in.
What difference do offset programs make?
Voluntary offsetting that individuals pay to choose for is a much smaller market than mandatory offsetting that the government requires industry and businesses to carry out.

While TEM said it only financed projects that cause additional emissions reductions above business as usual, Mr Kuch said consumers need to make their own judgement on “additionality”.
Additionality is the consideration of whether a project people contribute towards through carbon offsetting fees would have otherwise gone ahead without their money.
“Who’s to say something wouldn’t have happened otherwise?” Mr Kuch said.
Mr Grant said the standards that offset programs must meet require a huge amount of technical rigour and evidence for the life of any project.
The future of emissions offset programs
Mr Kuch said if consumers wanted to ensure the offset fees they pay for were credible, they had to do their own research beyond the website of the company they were buying from.
He believes offsetting emissions should only be an “intermediate” method of dealing with high carbon emissions.
“Offsets only, at least in theory, will negate, so they’ll only take us back to zero, when what we actually need is to sequester carbon and to stop digging it up in the first place,” Mr Kuch said.
“The most effective action you can take is not to buy more stuff and then purchase an offset which is probably going to be dodgy, it’s to not burn the carbon in the first place and to campaign against more fossil fuel projects starting up when we’ve run out of atmosphere to burn the carbon into.”
“The most effective action you can take is not to buy more stuff and then purchase an offset which is probably going to be dodgy, it’s to not burn the carbon in the first place and to campaign against more fossil fuel projects starting up when we’ve run out of atmosphere to burn the carbon into.”
Mr Grant said it is simply not possible to achieve emissions reduction targets without offsets.
“Offsets are integral to meeting climate goals of reducing global warming to 1.5 degrees or less,” he said.
“It’s not possible to meet those targets with technology alone and offsets are part and parcel of the natural carbon cycle anyway,” Mr Grant said
“We MUST respect this earth - it is all we have
Claudio Dametto - South Australia
“I will always Vote to Preserve Our World.
Liam McGregor - Western Australia
“A simple message that even a politician can understand
Felicity Crombach - Victoria
“Please show you care about our future generations!!
Phil Harmer - New South Wales
“Save our world , Life & health before profits.
Kerry Lillian - New South Wales
“Close down all coal mines and Do not mine gas . Make these Companies
Daniel Johnson - New South Wales
“We want carbon free energy!
Edan Clarke - New South Wales
“Feels good to be taking a voter action step
Beaver Hudson - New South Wales
“Great Initiative. Let’s Hold elected officials Accountable to their bosses, us!
John Paul Posada - New South Wales
“We need actions not words we need honest democratic govt We need a pm
Bob Pearce - South Australia
“Thank you for this great resource. I was feeling helpless. Even this small step
Silvia Anderson - Victoria
“If political parties continue receiving political donations, we will rarely have politicians working for
Dan Chicos - New South Wales
“I only vote for people who will take urgent action to restore a safe
Susie Burke - Victoria
“Current government is not representing the opinion of the majority of Australian to meet
Neil Price - Tasmania
“We are fighting to rescue our kids' future from those who seek to steal
Vanessa Norimi - Queensland
“No time to waste Now or Never My vote is for NOW
Rosalie White - Victoria
“I am only 9 but I already care
Ava Bell - New South Wales
“From New Lambton Uniting Church - Caring for our world is a moral imperative.
Niall McKay - New South Wales
“Our federal govt is an International climate Embarrassment - its about time they stepped
Oriana Tolo - Victoria
“Vote earth this time!
Sue Cooke - Queensland
“We are in one on the wealthiest countries in the world. we have the
rowan huxtable - New South Wales
“The climate Emergency is the public health opportunity and urgent priority of the 21st
Mike Forrester - Victoria
“If they want my vote they better act now
Barbara McNiff - New South Wales
“We need to act locally now for the earth. Our only home. Vote Earth
Anne Miller - New South Wales
“I often look at the places I've known all my life and see how
Jim Baird - New South Wales
“Strike one For people power!!! Democracy might prevail outside the current cronyism that faces
Lorraine Bridger - New South Wales
“Our federal politicians Are Afraid to make action on climate change a major election
Jennifer Martin - New South Wales
“climate election, let's go!
Fahimah Badrulhisham - New South Wales
“Great to see this website that is a focus on action for climate change
Lynette Sinclair - New South Wales
“Let’s show politicians and the Murdoch media that climate change is by far the
Jane Aitken - Australian Capital Territory
“If you want to stay in power You need to take action to stop
Jane Bulter - New South Wales
“We are all that stands between terminal climate change and the vulnerable. We are
Carol Khan - Queensland
“We need a Government that Believes this is real and not taking money from
Ken Gray - New South Wales
“I'm voting for my childrens future
Anneliese Alexander - New South Wales