Carbon Off-Setting - 1st Feb, 2007

Sian James MP has welcomed a Government announcement setting off standards for 'carbon off-setting'.

From now on, people who want to take action to off-set the carbon emissions for which they are responsible will be able to choose a scheme with confidence.

Sian James MP said:

“The Department for Environment Food and Rural affairs (Defra) already gives advice on how people can reduce their energy on consumption and choose greener energy supplies. Now Defra is going further, so that where people cause carbon emissions, they can choose a reliable scheme for cancelling out the potential harm (carbon off-setting).

“There has been concern that some of the schemes on offer are not effective. So Defra has today announced standards that all schemes will have to meet. This can only help to reassure everyone that even when they cause carbon emissions there is still something they can do to help combat climate change.”

David Miliband, Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, said:

“Offsetting isn’t the answer to climate change. The first step should always be to see how we can avoid and reduce emissions – through thinking about how we use energy in our homes and businesses, and the way we travel.

“However, some emissions can’t or won’t be avoided. That’s where offsetting has a role to play. It’s a way of compensating for the emissions produced with an equivalent carbon saving.”

Mr Miliband said that consumers needed an assurance that their offsetting was in fact contributing to an overall reduction in global carbon dioxide emissions.

“People need to be sure that the way they offset is actually making a difference. The Government’s standard and code of practice, with a quality mark so people can check easily before they choose an offsetting product, will help to provide that certainty.

ENDS

For further information contact the Defra website on www.defra.gov.uk


Editor’s Notes:
1. Offsetting is achieved through buying emission reduction credits generated by projects and activities that have reduced carbon emissions elsewhere in the world, such as through renewable technology or energy efficiency projects. For offsetting to effectively help tackle climate change, the credits must come from a project that has delivered quantified and certified emissions reductions.

2. The standard will be based on the use of certified credits such as those generated via the Kyoto flexible mechanisms (i.e. Certified Emissions Reductions from the Clean Development Mechanism or Emissions Reduction Allowances from the Joint Implementation Mechanism) as well as those credits certified by the EU (i.e. EU Allowances)

3. It is important to distinguish between the use of certified credits (sometimes called compliance credits) for the purpose of voluntary offsetting and their use by companies or countries for the purpose of complying with legal obligations under the Kyoto or the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The use of certified credits for voluntary offsetting does not affect those countries’ and companies’ targets or quotas or assist them in meeting them.

4. A number of proprietary standards for offsetting using uncertified credits have been developed by commercial offset providers and other organisations. Such credits are often collectively referred to as ‘Voluntary Emissions Reductions’. We recommend that the sponsors of such credits seek to have them certified, for example under the Clean Development Mechanism, in order to demonstrate that they represent genuine and durable carbon reductions.