The summer of 2018 was the first time I calculated my carbon footprint. Disheartened I was, knowing that the world would need 2.1 Earths if everyone had a similar carbon footprint to mine. Carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases produced through our daily activities and mitigating the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions through buying offsets, which will help reduce emissions somewhere else in the world, known as carbon offsetting. For example, suppose a steel company in New York City wants to reduce the impacts of their greenhouse gas emissions. In that case, they can buy an offset for shares of a project that would reduce a comparable amount of carbon dioxide in the Adirondack Region. Implementing some form of carbon offset scheme is extremely important in the Adirondack region.
One may wonder why a firm would purchase carbon offsets rather than reduce its emissions. After reaching low levels of carbon emissions, reducing carbon emissions comes at a hefty cost. Rather than using the money to cut negligible emissions, the firm may use that amount to purchase offsets for projects that would reduce higher levels of carbon dioxides.
In the Adirondack region, carbon offset projects could exist in three types: Forestation, Green Energy, and Energy-from-Waste[ 4 Types of Carbon Offset Projects, 2020]. To offset their GHG emissions, industries in the Adirondack region can invest in forestation projects to increase the carbon captured by new trees. Similarly, enterprises can also invest in projects that build solar, hydro, or other renewable energy sites to decrease the overall dependence on fossil fuels and the GHGs emitted by their use. Energy-from-Waste projects also help offset carbon emissions by converting gases released as a byproduct to energy. For example, biogas digesters can convert the greenhouse gases emitted from landfills in the Adirondack region into electricity[ 4 Types of Carbon Offset Projects, 2020].
The Adirondack Council has a carbon offset scheme known as the Carbon Reduction Certificate Program. Under this scheme, the Council will retire a carbon emission allowance for every purchase of a carbon reduction certificate of $25[“Carbon Reduction Certificate Program.”, n.d. ]. Reducing a carbon allowance means that the industry will permanently lose its right to produce a certain amount of carbon dioxide, ultimately decreasing the C02 emissions. Implementation of such schemes forces industries to consider alternatives such as green energy to be within their carbon limit.
Carbon offset provides an opportunity to industries that want to mitigate their contributions to climate change. It is also a cheaper alternative to offset the overall greenhouse gas emission in a particular region. The New York State has aimed to reduce 15% of emissions through offset projects to achieve net-zero emissions by 2015[Roberts, 2019]. Carbon offsets schemes in the Adirondack region will play a vital role in achieving this aim, mainly because it covers 34% of the state. Thus, it is undeniable that such schemes are needed to protect the environment of the Adirondack Forest and the entire state of New York.
Calculate your carbon footprint: https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en
Citations:
Carbon Reduction Certificate Program. Adirondack Council. (n.d.). https://www.adirondackcouncil.org/page/carbon-reduction-certificate-program-189.html.
4 types of carbon offset projects. EIC. (2020, December 2). https://www.eic.co.uk/4-types-of-carbon-offset-projects/.
Roberts, D. (2019, June 20). New York just passed the most ambitious climate target in the country. Vox. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/6/20/18691058/new-york-green-new-deal-climate-change-cuomo.