Carbon Taxes
A carbon tax is levied on the carbon emissions required to produce goods and services. They are intended to make visible the “hidden” social costs of carbon emissions.
Renewable Energy
Carbon Sequestration
Carbon capture and storage is the process of capturing carbon dioxide emissions before they enter the atmosphere, and storing them for centuries or millennia. Usually the CO2 is captured from large point sources, such as coal-fired power plants, a chemical plant or biomass power plants.
Cap-and-Trade Systems
A Cap-and-Trade System is a market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for businesses to reduce emissions. The government sets an emissions cap, and issues a quantity of emission allowances consistent with that cap. Emitters must hold allowances for every ton of greenhouse gas they emit. Companies can buy and sell allowances in a carbon market, and this establishes an emissions price.
How are Carbon Credits Generated?
Offset projects can be implemented in a number of ways, but the most common methods include energy efficiency projects, forestry projects, and renewable energy projects. These projects aim to either avoid the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, or to remove them once they have been emitted.
Climate Change
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our planet today. It refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns that are caused by human activity, like burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Climate change can lead to more extreme weather conditions, like heatwaves, droughts, and floods. It can also cause harm to wildlife and ecosystems.
China Certified Emission Reduction
The China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) scheme is a carbon offset program launched in 2005 to help China meet its emissions reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol. The scheme allows companies and individuals to earn carbon credits by investing in projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
What is a Water Footprint?
A water footprint is a measure of humanity’s appropriation of fresh water in volumes of water consumed and/or polluted.
Ozone Depleting Substances
Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) are chemicals that deplete the ozone layer in Earth’s atmosphere. The ozone layer is important because it helps protect us from the sun’s harmful UV radiation. When the ozone layer is depleted, we are at increased risk of developing skin cancer and other health problems.
Illegal Logging
Illegal logging is a huge problem worldwide. It’s estimated that 15-30% of all timber harvested is done so illegally, costing governments and taxpayers billions of dollars each year in lost revenue. Not only is illegal logging devastating to local economies, it’s also terrible for the environment. Trees are a vital part of the global carbon cycle, and when they’re cut down illegally, it disrupts that cycle and contributes to climate change.
Compliance Carbon Offsets
Compliance Carbon Offset Programs are government-mandated programs designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The most common compliance carbon program is the cap-and-trade system, which sets a limit (cap) on the amount of emissions that can be released into the atmosphere.
