A carbon credit, also known as carbon offset or Verified Emissions Reduction (VER), is created when one metric ton of a greenhouse gas (GHG) is avoided, reduced, or removed.
The offset may be used to address direct and indirect emissions associated with an organisation’s operations (e.g., emissions from a boiler used to heat your organisation’s office building or employee’s business travel). The reduction in GHG emissions from one place can be used to “offset” the emissions taking place somewhere else. Carbon credits can be used in addition to an organisation taking actions within its own operational boundary to lower emissions.
Benefits of Carbon Credits:
- Immediate accessibility for company to address emissions that it is unable to eliminate
- Providing a financial incentive to invest in clean technologies like solar power and fuel-efficient cars
- Slowing climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- Creating a “carbon market” that allows companies to buy and sell credits.