How to Certify Carbon Credits

Using wind energy is a carbon offset that can create carbon credit.

Carbon credits were developed in the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement linked to the United Nations, as an attempt to help with carbon emissions that may lead to global warming. A carbon credit is equal to one ton of carbon dioxide being removed from the environment. Regulating bodies allow participating organizations worldwide a certain amount of carbon emissions per year while any additional emissions have to be purchased on the open market. Carbon credits help to lower the amount of carbon emissions in the world by making it profitable for companies to create less greenhouse gases and use more environmentally sustainable means of production, and if they do so they can sell or trade their extra carbon credits.

Instructions

1. Create a baseline for the amount of carbon emissions for your organization by quantifying the amount of carbon being produced by your organization. This is a complicated task and may need to be done by a regulatory agency such as the Regional Greenhouse Initiative, or RGGI.

2. Reduce the amount of carbon emissions by utilizing environmentally sustainable and energy efficient practices in your organization. You have to be able to prove to a regulatory organization that the amount of carbon has been reduced. Methods include using wind energy, providing reforestation, using carbon-friendly farming practices etc. Consult with a regulatory agency such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for more ideas on how to reduce your carbon footprint.

3. Have your carbon analyzed again after putting environmentally-friendly practices into place in your organization. This information must be verified and registered by a regulatory agency such as the Clean Development Mechanism or the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in order to receive certified credits. Certified credits are worth more money than voluntary credits because of the advanced regulation that they receive, so therefore organizations are able to trade them or sell them to other organizations for a cash value.

References

• Carbon Fund: How it Works
• Hy-Bon: Carbon Credits
• NY Times: Carbon Trading: Where Greed is Green

Resources

• Clean Development Mechanism: Home