By KATE WILLSON
Observer Staff
Oct. 18, 2007

With 70 businesses to choose from and more joining the market every day, how does one choose a trustworthy carbon offset company in an industry that is essentially unregulated?

“I would ask what standard they are using to measure their offsets,” said Samantha Putt del Pino, a project manager for climate studies at the World Resources Insitute. “That would tell me whether they’re tuned in to what makes a credible offset. If they’re not using a standard, that would tell me a lot.”

Putt del Pino said people interested in offsetting their carbon use should check out a report by the New Hampshire-based non-profit, Clean Air Cool Planet.

A Consumer’s Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers evaluated 30 of the most prominent carbon-offset firms in the world and selected those that provide the most transparency and that focus on projects that could not happen without the funding of carbon consumers.

Before buying offsets, however, consumers should ask themselves what they have done to reduce their emissions, the report said. Do not let offsets be a crutch for a carbon-rich lifestyle. Consumers who choose to purchase offsets should make sure they choose a quality provider so they can credibly claim to be “carbon neutral.”

So how does one find a good provider? The report suggests asking companies the following questions before investing:

1) Do your offsets result from specific projects?

2) Do you use an objective standard to ensure additionality (a measure of how clear the connection is between the offset payment and a true reduction in carbon emissions) and quality of the offsets you sell?

3) How do you demonstrate that the projects would not have happened without the offset market?

4) Can you demonstrate that your offsets are not sold to multiple buyers?

5) What are you doing to educate your buyers about global warming and the need for global warming policy?