Carbon offset: a good idea or not?

Driving, flying or buying new things: almost all our (daily) activities produce CO2 emissions. Much more than nature can absorb. As a result, the climate is changing and the planet continues to warm. To combat this, it is crucial that we significantly reduce our CO2 emissions. In addition, you can make a donation to Trees for All to offset your carbon footprint. But is carbon offsetting a good thing or not?

Planting trees is not enough

Every day, Trees for All strives to create a healthy earth for everyone. To achieve this goal, we should not just plant forests and restore existing forests, but also drastically change our way of living. Why? Our western lifestyle, large quantities of CO2 end up in the atmosphere. By way of comparison, the richest 10% of the world’s population is responsible for half of all CO2 emissions. In the Netherlands, two out of three Dutch people belong to that richest 10%, according to Oxfam Novib.

Trees are able to absorb some of the carbon dioxide. However, if we really want to fight climate change, we must first lower our CO2 emissions. And fast.

Reduction first, offset later

At the same time, we realise that our society is not (yet) able to avoid all CO2 emissions. You can then choose to offset your emissions. At Trees for All, you can do this by planting trees in our certified reforestation projects. The trees will absorb the amount of CO2 you offset in the coming years.

Our motto is: reduction first, offset later. CO2 offsetting is not a solution to the climate problem. We consider carbon offset as a tool to accelerate the shift to a more climate-friendly world, not as a goal in itself. Treating offsetting as a goal would imply it is an excuse to continue emitting the same amounts of CO2. And that does not help us or the world. If only because there is not enough space to plant enough trees to capture our emissions.

This is how carbon offset works at Trees for All     

At Trees for All, you can offset your CO2 emissions. This is how it works:

• First, you calculate your emissions using our calculation tools.
• The tool calculates the number of trees needed to capture your emissions.
• Next we plant those trees in our certified forest projects abroad.

Carbon offset is based on a carbon credit system. One credit equals one tonne of emissions that is captured by planting trees. A project may only issue these credits if it is certified by an independent standard (quality mark) for CO2 compensation. Our offset projects are certified by Plan Vivo. This international quality mark guarantees that the amount of CO2 you offset is actually captured by planting trees – and also verifies this.

Plan Vivo takes into account, among other things, the type of tree, its growing location and its age. And another advantage? Projects with a Plan Vivo certification not only store CO2, but also improve biodiversity and the living conditions of local communities.

The right tree in the right place

At Trees for All, we believe that planting trees is a natural and effective way to offset CO2 emissions. However, this is only true if the right tree is planted in the right place. Simply planting as many trees as possible to capture as much CO2 as possible will not be effective. It is equally important that the planted trees add value for the people, plants and animals in an area.

That is why we prefer to plant native and regional trees that naturally belong in a region. We also make clear agreements with our local project partners and the population who will manage and maintain the forests in the long term. In this way, we ensure that both people and animals really benefit from the forest.

Not making profit, but impact

Finally, it is good to know that Trees for All is a non-profit organisation. We do not earn money from CO2 offsetting. Instead, as a charity, we want to make as much positive impact as possible for people, animals and nature worldwide by planting trees.

Thanks to your donation, we can further increase that impact. We can also enable (even more) projects worldwide which would otherwise not exist. And your donation also helps us to involve more local communities in our projects and thereby improve their living conditions. In this way, together we are passing on a world full of forests to the cuurent and future generations.