Carbon removal, the elimination of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), is one of the main methods used to reduce global CO₂ emissions. In the scope of carbon offsets, carbon removal could play a crucial role in reducing atmospheric CO₂ levels. So, we had to ask: What are carbon removal offsets really, and could they help us mitigate climate change?

Carbon removal offsets are a specific type of carbon offset that focuses on eliminating carbon from the atmosphere via technological or natural processes including direct carbon/air capture, carbon mineralization, reforestation, afforestation, blue carbon, or agricultural offset projects.

Keep reading to find out all about what carbon removal offsets are, how they work, what their project life-cycle is, how effective they are, their pros and cons, and how they can help mitigate climate change.

The Big Picture of Carbon Removal Offsets

Carbon offsets play an important role in mitigating the effects of global climate change by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions beyond what we each can achieve through individual actions. Carbon removal offsets are a specific type of carbon offset that focuses on eliminating carbon from the atmosphere via technological or natural processes.

What Are Carbon Removal Offsets

Carbon offsets are reductions in GHG emissions that are used to compensate for emissions occurring elsewhere. They are measured in tons of CO₂ equivalents and are bought and sold through international brokers, online retailers, and trading platforms.

Carbon removal offsets are a specific type of carbon offset that focuses on eliminating carbon from the atmosphere via technological or natural processes. They include direct carbon/air capture (DCC/DAC), carbon mineralization, reforestation, afforestation, blue carbon, and some agricultural offsets. 

How Are Carbon Offsets Defined

Carbon offsets play a crucial role in reducing our carbon footprint, the amount of CO₂ emissions associated with an individual or an entity. 

“Carbon footprint: the amount of greenhouse gasses and specifically carbon dioxide emitted by something (such as a person’s activities or a product’s manufacture and transport) during a given period”

Merriam Webster

Basically, a carbon footprint is the amount of carbon emitted by an activity or an organization. This includes GHG emissions from fuel that we burn directly (e.g., heating a home, driving a car) and GHG emissions from manufacturing the products that we use (e.g., power plants, factories, and landfills). 

One way to reduce our carbon footprint is via the use of carbon offsets. These are reductions in GHG emissions that are measured in tons of CO₂ equivalents and are bought and sold through international brokers, online retailers, and trading platforms. 

“Carbon offset: a way for a company or person to reduce the level of carbon dioxide for which they are responsible by paying money to a company that works to reduce the total amount produced in the world, for example by planting trees” y

Oxford Dictionary

When you hear the words “carbon offset”, think about the term “compensation”. Essentially, carbon offsets are reductions in GHG emissions that are used to compensate for emissions occurring elsewhere. Carbon offsets can range anywhere from a couple of hundred tons of CO₂ per program per year to thousands of tons of CO₂ per program per year. 

How Are Carbon Removal Offsets Defined

Carbon removal is the process of eliminating carbon from the atmosphere. It is also referred to as negative emissions or carbon drawdown.

“Carbon Removal: the process of removing CO₂ from the atmosphere”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Some of the most common carbon removal offset projects include:

• Direct Carbon/Air Capture
• Carbon Mineralization
• Reforestation
• Afforestation
• Blue Carbon
• Agriculture

How Do Carbon Removal Offsets Work

Carbon removal refers to the elimination of carbon from the atmosphere via technological or natural processes. Direct air capture and trees are the most common carbon removal practic

How and When Do Carbon Removal Offsets Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Carbon removal refers to the elimination of carbon from our atmosphere by its capture via technological processes or uptake via natural processes. It is one way to mitigate the adverse effects of CO₂ emissions that occur once they enter our atmosphere.

How Do Carbon Removal Offsets Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Carbon removal projects reduce CO₂ emissions by supporting projects that capture and remove CO₂ that has already been emitted into our atmosphere. 

Carbon removal can be split into 2 categories, technological and natural carbon removal. 

• Technological carbon removal: This involves specialized technology which extracts carbon from the atmosphere. 

• Natural carbon removal: Also known as carbon sequestration. Carbon is stored naturally in vegetation (forests), soils, and oceans, also referred to as our carbon sinks. 

When Do Carbon Removal Offsets Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

The timing of carbon reduction varies depending on the type of carbon removal:

• CO₂ emissions reductions from DCC/DAC offsets occur as soon as the machines become operational. Once the carbon capture machines start sucking in atmospheric air, CO₂ removal begins. 

• Carbfix achieves 95% permanent carbon mineralization in under two years. Carbon mineralization mechanisms skip the slow weathering process by breaking down silicate rocks into tiny pieces, increasing surface area, and speeding up CO₂ absorption.

• Reforestation and afforestation projects experience delays in carbon reduction because finding suitable land and physically planting the trees to create a new forest takes time. All trees mature at different rates, but a typical hardwood tree takes around 20 years to reach maturity.

• For blue carbon, carbon emission reductions are delayed when you plant new mangrove trees because you have to wait for the trees to reach maturity; however, protecting existing seagrass beds and tidal marsh areas reduces CO₂ immediately.

• In terms of agriculture, biochar and methane (CH₄) capture immediately remove CO₂ and CH₄ emissions, whereas agroforestry practices have a delay in CO₂ emission reductions.

What Could Prevent Carbon Removal Offsets From Being Realized

Carbon removal offsets can lack permanence, can be relatively expensive, may not be scaled to compensate for our global emissions, can negatively alter ecosystems, and can be difficult to standardize, verify, and monitor, depending on the specific type of offset. 

Nature-based solutions such as reforestation, afforestation, blue carbon, and some agriculture offsets can lack permanence because carbon storage is reversible. For these categories of removal, the carbon is stored in biomass (e.g., trees, seagrasses, and marshes) rather than in permanent reservoirs (e.g., underground in rock formations). Once a tree is planted, it should never be removed in order to guarantee permanence. But trees die naturally, and environmental disasters such as floods, fires, changes in land use, and climate change can negate any permanence of these types of offsets. 

DCC/DAC offsets currency range anywhere from $250-$1200 per ton, the highest out of all carbon removal methods. Close behind are carbon mineralization offsets, which currently range anywhere from $82 – $1,200 per ton of CO₂. In comparison, reforestation, afforestation, REDD+, and blue carbon offsets can cost less than $50 per ton. 

Currently, DCC/DAC, carbon mineralization, blue carbon, and agricultural offsets are not scaled enough to keep pace with our global carbon emissions. There are relatively few companies engaged in DCC/DAC and carbon mineralization practices and the technology is expensive to implement, whilst blue carbon offsets only receive 3% of total climate investments globally despite being capable of providing 1/3 of the total emissions reductions needed to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. 

Also, in order to exact change on a global scale, we would have to incorporate agricultural offset practices such as biochar, agroforestry, and methane (CH₄) capture on a massive scale and for hundreds of years into the future. 

Afforestation and carbon mineralization projects can negatively alter ecosystems if not planned properly. Afforestation can have a high land use change opportunity cost whilst carbon mineralization can come with risks including the contamination of surface and groundwater and the induction of seismic activity. Proper monitoring and siting procedures can help mitigate these risks.

What Is the Project Life-Cycle of Carbon Removal Offsets

To fully understand carbon removal offsets, we must assess each stage of its life cycle. This life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a method to evaluate the environmental impacts of products and materials. Over the years, companies have strategically used LCA to research and create more sustainable products. So, we had a look at the LCA for carbon removal offsets! 

Building of Carbon Removal Offsets

The building of carbon removal offsets varies depending on the type of carbon removal:

• Direct Carbon/Air Capture (DCC/DAC): Siting of a DCC plant requires land, water, access to a renewable energy source, and a place to store the captured carbon.

• Carbon Mineralization: The building of carbon mineralization offsets includes building mineralization power plants, identifying lands for injection or above-ground exposure, and actually injecting CO₂ or spreading crushed rocks.

• Reforestation: The building of reforestation carbon offsets includes identifying lands in need of reforestation and physically planting the trees.

• Afforestation: The building of afforestation carbon offsets includes identifying lands to be afforested and physically planting the trees.

• Blue Carbon: The building of blue carbon offsets includes identifying areas in need of marine reforestation.

• Agriculture: The building of agricultural carbon offsets includes building biomass power plants and CH₄ capture mechanisms, and identifying farms in need of reforestation.

Operating and Maintaining of Carbon Removal Offsets

Each carbon removal type has various operation and maintenance needs:

• DCC/DAC: DCC works by sucking atmospheric air into specialized machines which remove the CO₂ so that it can be stored permanently (e.g., pumped deep underground and stored in geological formations).

• Carbon Mineralization: There are very few CO₂ emissions or waste products associated with operating and maintaining carbon mineralization projects, making the carbon footprint of this phase low.

• Reforestation: The operating and maintaining of reforestation carbon offsets includes any measures taken after planting trees to keep the reforested lands alive and thriving. 

• Afforestation: The operating and maintenance of afforestation carbon offsets includes any measures taken after planting trees to keep the planted lands alive and thriving. 

• Blue Carbon: The operating and maintenance of blue carbon offsets includes any measures taken after planting mangrove trees to keep the reforested lands alive and thriving. 

• Agriculture: The operating and maintenance of agricultural carbon offsets includes the combustion of biomass, capture of CH₄, and absorption of CO₂ via agroforestry.

End-of-Life of Carbon Removal Offsets

The end-of-life of carbon removal offsets also depends on the type of removal:

• DCC/DAC: DCC technology is relatively new, so data for this stage is not available yet. DCC power plants have an estimated average life expectancy of 20 years, if properly maintained. 

• Carbon Mineralization: The end-of-life of carbon mineralization offset projects is not yet well documented because mineralization itself is a relatively new technology. But we do know that rates of carbon re-emission are very low given that mineralization is a permanent process.

• Reforestation: The end-of-life of reforestation carbon offsets would include anything that puts the reforested lands at risk of being destroyed, which hopefully would never occur.

• Afforestation: The end-of-life of afforestation carbon offsets would include anything that puts the planted lands at risk of being destroyed, which hopefully would never occur.

• Blue Carbon: The end-of-life of blue carbon offsets would include anything that puts these ecosystems at risk of being deforested or degraded, which hopefully would never occur.

• Agriculture: The end-of-life of agricultural carbon offset projects would include the end-of-life of pyrolysis technology, biomass power plants, or anything that puts agroforestry or grasslands at risk of being destroyed, which hopefully would never occur.

Carbfix + Climeworks: An Example Project of Technological Carbon Removal Offsets

Since 2017, Carbfix has been working with Climeworks, a direct air capture company based in Zurich, Switzerland. After Climeworks’ specialized machines directly capture CO₂ from the air, Carbfix then turns the captured CO₂ into stone in less than two years. 

Carbfix first dissolves the captured CO₂ in water to create a slurry, before injecting it underground where it reacts with basalts and other reactive rock formations to form solid minerals (carbonates) via natural processes. These carbonates remain stable for thousands of years, making the process permanent. To date, Carbfix has injected over 90,000 tons of CO₂ at their Icelandic site.

AFR100: An Example Project of Natural Carbon Removal

Africa contains 17% of our planet’s forest cover yet is subjected to deforestation at 4 times the global average rate. The rainforest of the Congo Basin, the second-largest tropical forest in the world, spans 6 African countries and encompasses 500 million acres.

The African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) is a country-led effort to bring 100 million hectares of land in the African Congo Basin into restoration by 2030. The 33 countries involved aim to restore agricultural lands, forests, mangroves, wetlands, and grasslands which would add nutrients to the soil, increase biodiversity, create jobs, and improve food security. 

One Tree Planted offers AFR100 carbon offsets through its website at a cost of $20 per 1,000kg of CO₂. They plant various indigenous tree species (e.g., shea and mahogany) as well as mango, avocado, guava, and Brazil nut trees in the Congo Basin region.

How Effective and Efficient Are Carbon Removal Offsets

In terms of effectiveness, carbon removal offsets can permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere, remove those emissions quickly, and reinforce our carbon sinks, depending on the type of removal. However, they can negatively alter ecosystems, can be difficult to monitor and verify, and do not reduce your own carbon emissions, which can lead to greenwashing.

In terms of efficiency, carbon removal offsets can continue to remove carbon emissions after their project lifespan and have low rates of carbon re-emission, depending on the type of removal. However, they may also lack permanence, may not yet be scaled to compensate for our global emissions, and have varying costs.

Carbon removal offsets are effective at mitigating climate change because they:

• Direct carbon/air capture (DCC/DAC), carbon mineralization, and biochar offsets remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it permanently in underground geological reservoirs. 
• DCC/DAC, carbon mineralization, and some blue carbon and agricultural offsets reduce emissions quicker than other nature-based solutions.
• Nature-based solutions such as reforestation, afforestation, blue carbon, and agroforestry store carbon in forests, soils, and oceans, commonly called our carbon sinks. 

However, carbon removal offsets can also lack effectiveness because afforestation and carbon mineralization can negatively alter ecosystems if not planned properly, and blue carbon and agricultural carbon offsets can be difficult to standardize, verify, and monitor. 

Carbon removal offsets are efficient at reducing CO₂ emissions because they:

• Trees continue absorbing carbon long after they mature, which means reforestation, afforestation, and mangrove blue carbon projects can continue to reduce carbon emissions long after the trees have been planted.
• DCC/DAC offsets can have low rates of carbon re-emission when plants are operated by low-carbon electricity. And carbon mineralization offsets store carbon permanently, even if rocks are broken.

However, carbon removal offsets can also lack efficiency because:

• Nature-based carbon removal solutions such as reforestation, afforestation, blue carbon, and agroforestry can lack permanence because carbon storage is reversible. 
• DCC/DAC, carbon mineralization, blue carbon, and agricultural offsets are not scaled enough to keep pace with our global carbon emissions due to a lack of technology and few companies engaged in the practices. 

Also, costs can vary greatly depending on the type of removal. Carbon removal offsets such as DCC/DAC and carbon mineralization are some of the more expensive methods of carbon removal. But carbon removal offsets involving reforestation, afforestation, blue carbon, and agriculture are relatively cost-effective.

Lastly, carbon removal offsets can also lack effectiveness because they do not reduce your own carbon emissions, which can lead to greenwashing. This occurs when emissions are only offset and not reduced from the source, and the consumer is deceived into thinking they are offsetting their emissions but in reality, they are not.

How Could you Offset Your Own Carbon Footprint With Carbon Removal Offsets

The market for carbon offsets was small in the year 2000, but by 2010 it had already grown to represent nearly $10 billion worldwide. The voluntary carbon offset market (VCM) is where everyday consumers can purchase carbon offsets to offset their carbon emissions. 

The Ecosystem Marketplace predicts the VCM can grow to $50B by the year 2050. And because carbon removal offsets are effective and efficient at reducing carbon emissions, they are predicted to make up an increasingly larger share of this market.

What Are The 6 Pros and 6 Cons of Carbon Removal Offsets

Carbon removal offsets can be permanent, immediate, cost-effective, have low rates of carbon re-emission, and reinforce our carbon sinks, depending on the specific type of offset. They also allow us to reduce carbon emissions in ways we wouldn’t be able to accomplish individually.

Carbon removal offsets can lack permanence, can be relatively expensive, can negatively alter ecosystems and be difficult to monitor and verify, and may not be scaled to compensate for our global emissions, depending on the specific type of offset. They also do not reduce your own carbon emissions, which can lead to greenwashing.

What Are the 6 Pros of Carbon Removal Offsets

Carbon removal offsets have various pros that make them effective at reducing carbon emissions.

What Are the 6 Cons of Carbon Removal Offsets

Understanding the drawbacks of carbon removal offsets is important in order to effectively mitigate climate change.

How Can Carbon Removal Offsets Help Mitigate Climate Change

Climate change is a severe and long-term consequence of fossil fuel combustion. Carbon removal offsets can help mitigate climate change because they eliminate fossil-fuel-derived carbon from our atmosphere which, if left untreated, can remain there for tens of thousands of years and exacerbate the negative effects of climate change.

How is Climate Change Defined

Climate change is arguably the most severe, long-term global impact of fossil fuel combustion. Every year, approximately 33 billion tons (bt) of CO₂ are emitted from burning fossil fuels. The carbon found in fossil fuels reacts with oxygen in the air to produce CO₂. 

“Climate change: changes in the earth’s weather, including changes in temperature, wind patterns and rainfall, especially the increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere that is caused by the increase of particular gasses, especially carbon dioxide.”

Oxford Dictionary

Atmospheric CO₂ fuels climate change, which results in global warming. When CO₂ and other air pollutants absorb sunlight and solar radiation in the atmosphere, it traps the heat and acts as an insulator for the planet. Since the Industrial Revolution, Earth’s temperature has risen a little more than 1 degree Celsius (C), or 2 degrees Fahrenheit (F). Between 1880-1980 the global temperature rose by 0.07C every 10 years. This rate has more than doubled since 1981, with a current global annual temperature rise of 0.18C, or 0.32F, for every 10 years. 

As outlined in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, we must cut current GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050. 

How Do Carbon Offsets Generally Help Mitigate Climate Change

Levels of carbon in our atmosphere that cause climate change have increased as a result of human emissions since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1750. The global average concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today registers at over 400 parts per million. Carbon offsets can help prevent these levels from increasing even more.

When you hear the words “carbon offset”, think about the term “compensation”. Essentially, carbon offsets are removals in GHG emissions that are used to compensate for emissions occurring elsewhere. 

Carbon offsets that meet key criteria and verified project standards, are additional and permanent, and are a part of projects that are carried out until the end of their lifespan have the best chance of reducing carbon emissions and therefore reducing climate change. 

When we offset CO₂ we also slow the rate of global temperature rise, which in turn minimizes the effects of climate change. 

How Do Carbon Removal Offsets Specifically Help Mitigate Climate Change

Carbon removal in general can specifically help mitigate climate change because it eliminates atmospheric carbon, which when emitted, can remain in our atmosphere for a long period of time. 

Reforestation, afforestation, and mangrove-planting blue carbon offsets specifically help mitigate climate change because they plant more trees, and trees remove CO₂ from the air as they grow. By increasing the number of trees on our planet, we increase the amount of carbon they are capable of storing. The more carbon our forests can sequester, the less carbon there is in our atmosphere. 

Direct carbon/air capture (DCC/DAC) and carbon mineralization offsets specifically help mitigate climate change because these methods permanently lock away CO₂ for thousands of years with little to no carbon re-emission.

Agricultural carbon offsets such as biochar, agroforestry, and CH₄ capture can specifically help mitigate climate change because they reduce CO₂ and CH₄ emissions in one of the biggest industries worldwide.

What Are Better Alternatives to Carbon Removal Offsets

If used correctly, carbon removal offsets can provide environmental, economic, and social benefits beyond reducing carbon emissions. They have the potential to instigate meaningful environmental change and begin to reverse some of the effects of climate change. 

However, we can’t let this method be a guilt-free way to reduce carbon emissions. Carbon removal offsets must be used in conjunction with direct carbon reduction measures to reduce carbon emissions long term. 

These reduction measures don’t have to involve drastic changes either. Actions that may seem small can have a big impact because those small changes add up! You can reduce your carbon footprint in three main areas of your life: household, travel, and lifestyle. 

Reduce your household carbon footprint:

• Wash with cold water: Washing clothes in cold water could reduce carbon emissions by up to 11 million tons. Approximately 90% of the energy is used to heat the water, so switching to cold saves also saves energy.

• Replace incandescent bulbs with fluorescent bulbs: Fluorescent bulbs use 75% less energy than incandescent ones, saving energy and thus reducing electricity demand and GHG emissions.

Reduce your travel carbon footprint:

• Fly less: Aviation accounts for around 1.9% of global carbon emissions and 2.5% of CO₂. Air crafts run on jet gasoline, which is converted to CO₂ when burned.

• Walk or bike when possible: The most efficient ways of traveling are walking, bicycling, or taking the train. Using a bike instead of a car can reduce carbon emissions by 75%. These forms of transportation also provide lower levels of air pollution.

Reduce your lifestyle carbon footprint:

• Switch to renewable energy sources: The six most common types of renewable energy are solar, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, and biomass energy. They are a substitute for fossil fuels that can reduce the effects of global warming by limiting global carbon emissions and other pollutants.

• Recycle: Recycling uses less energy and deposits less waste in landfills. Less manufacturing and transportation energy costs means fewer carbon emissions generated. Less waste in landfills means less CH₄ is generated.

• Switch from single-use to sustainable products: Reusing products avoids resource extraction, reduces energy use, reduces waste generation, and can prevent littering.

• Eat less meat and dairy: Meat and dairy account for 14.5% of global GHG emissions, with beef and lamb being the most carbon-intensive. Globally, we consume much more meat than is considered sustainable, and switching to a vegan or vegetarian diet could reduce emissions. 

• Take shorter showers: Approximately 1.2 trillion gallons of water are used each year in the United States just for showering purposes, and showering takes up about 17% of residential water usage. The amount of water consumed and the energy cost of that consumption are directly related. The less water we use the less energy we use. And the less energy we use, the less of a negative impact we have on the environment.

Because carbon offsets themselves are an indirect way and not a direct way of reducing emissions, they alone will not be enough to reduce global carbon emissions significantly. Direct measures of emission removals, such as reducing individual energy use and consumption, are better alternatives to carbon removal offsets. 

Final Thoughts

Carbon removal offsets are a specific type of carbon offset that focuses on the elimination of atmospheric CO₂. Emissions reduction occurs as the carbon is eliminated either via technological (DCC/DAC, carbon mineralization) or natural (reforestation, afforestation, blue carbon, agriculture) processes. Each type of removal has its pros and cons involving permanence, rapidity and longevity of emission reduction, and costs.

Although carbon removal offsets can instigate meaningful change, they should not be seen as the only solution to climate change. They are effective at reducing CO₂ in the short term, but in the long term, they fail to reduce CO₂ enough. Carbon removal offsets also do not reduce your own carbon emissions, which can lead to greenwashing.

When used in conjunction with direct CO₂ reduction measures, carbon offsetting can be much more effective. We should reduce our own carbon footprint as much as possible first, and only then choose the most effective carbon removal offsets.

Stay impactful,

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