Carbon offsetting, the process by which carbon dioxide-producing activities can be offset by contributing to a scheme that reduces carbon dioxide production (or removes CO2 from the atmosphere) by the same amount, is an increasingly big business. Many voluntary offset schemes have seen their business increase 10-fold in the past year.

Questions remain about the validity of these schemes, involving some very basic issues - different schemes quote identical flights as producing very different levels of CO2, some schemes advertise "Offset your flight by as little as £1", the regulated CDM (Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Protocol) cost of Co2 is $8.50 per tonne, compared with the average unregulated voluntary offset price of $1.25

Many voluntary offset schemes are beginning to address some of these credibility issues (with a big reduction in tree-planting elements of the schemes. The independant Gold Standard organisation, which regulates projects in the mandatory sector is now checking them in the voluntary sector too. However only three schemes (and none UK-based) offer to offset flights with Gold Standard certified schemes.

Members of the Cluster tend to have a great deal of knowledge on these issues, so what do you think:

Are voluntary carbon offsetting schemes a credible mechanism for tackling climate change?

Yes - 18.2% (4 votes)