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Glossary of Terms

Carbon Offsets
When a carbon-concerned consumer pays an organization to carry out an activity that will offset the consumer’s carbon footprint. For example, if you fly a lot on airplanes and feel terrible about the greenhouse gas emissions that those planes are pouring into the atmosphere, then you can pay a carbon offset organization to go plant some trees, because those trees help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

With the recent upsurge in public awareness of climate change, carbon offsets have become very popular. However, since scientists as yet do not know as much as they would like about the carbon cycle and responsible ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere (there’s ways to do that which are not necessarily be good for the environment), it’s hard to calculate the actual impact of offsets. As of the moment, there is also no fixed price for a pound of carbon, and there is little organized, centralized, accessible knowledge about how many pounds of carbon result from X or Y activity. Some critics also charge that consumers need to concentrate more on using less energy, rather than paying a guilt fee for their high-energy use lifestyles. Some skeptical types refer to this as “carbon indulgences.”

However, the basic principle of offsets remains sound – if for whatever reason you have no choice other than to participate in carbon-intensive activities, it is a good idea to at least try to offset their impact. Some innovative examples of carbon offsets are companies who set aside dollars to support the development of renewables, like solar or wind power, in their communities or in their own daily operations. These offsets make a tangible, on-the-ground difference.
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“Iraq and a lot of the skirmishes we are in are about energy. And I think, to put it in a nutshell, we feel it makes more sense to put wind turbines on our prairie instead of our fine young men and women under the prairie."
Kirk Lowell, Concordia KS - home to Meridian Way wind farm
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