The Basics

Carbon dioxide, or CO₂, is a natural gas found in the earth's atmosphere. It is produced by living things, and now more recently by human activity. This production is primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline and kerosene in vehicles or the use of coal to generate electricity. The greenhouse gas has been attributed to being the primary cause of global warming.

Greenhouse gases are any gas affecting global warming, yet some are more damaging than others. The gases trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere and increase the earth's average temperature.

Seven of the most significant contributors to climate change are: carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O), methane (CH4), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3).

Scientists quantify greenhouse gases emissions into CO2 emissions by translating the different warming potentials into CO₂ equivalents so that there is one universal measurement. Hence, when calculating your ‘carbon footprint’, you are simply quantifying your average greenhouse gas emissions into its CO₂ equivalent.

Your carbon footprint is the quantity of CO₂ and equivalent gases that you emit, measured in CO₂e. It is usually measured on an annual basis.

Offsetting carbon means essentially neutralising emissions either by

• Reducing and sequestering greenhouse gas emissions in other areas

• Increasing carbon storage to compensate for these emissions

Carbon neutral is when all emissions are “canceled out” by being offset.

Options for carbon offsetting include: tree planting, Carbon Capture and Storage (CSS), Direct Air Capture systems (DAC), and the application of CO₂ in the industry for food and beverage production or for material manufacture.

When an organization or company is labeled as ‘Carbon Neutral’ or ‘Zero Carbon’, it means that they produce a net total of zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be done by either not emitting CO₂ in any of their activities, or by capturing the CO₂ that is emitted using carbon offsets.

Similar to ‘Carbon Neutral’, an institution or organization can become ‘Carbon Negative’ when they offset more carbon dioxide than they produce. For example, an organization may partake in offsetting 5,000t CO₂e while only emitting 3,500t CO₂e. Hence, they would be carbon negative as they capture more carbon from the atmosphere than they produce altoghether.