Carbon Offset: a necessary challenge

CO2 emissions

It often happens, perhaps in your company’s internal communications or in the news, that you hear about offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. But what is being referred to? 

It is now well known that one of the main causes of global warming is the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide (or CO2) in the Earth’s atmosphere. This phenomenon is caused by human actions, particularly those related to fossil fuel use, intensive agricultural activities, livestock farming, waste management, and deforestation. The latter is extremely relevant because trees absorb carbon dioxide and, through photosynthesis, convert it into organic matter by releasing oxygen: carbon is thus “bound” to roots, leaves and stem wood, and in this way CO2 is naturally removed from the atmosphere.

What is Carbon Offset

The Carbon Offset is the mechanism for organisations and individuals to offset their CO2 emissions. Each entity must, either because of legal obligations or because of strategic issues, calculate its Carbon Footprint and then initiate projects to reduce its emissions where possible – for example, by using solar panels for electricity and changing the type of transportation for its directors and employees or by encouraging smart working. Instead, for all emissions that the Carbon Footprint calculation flags as unavoidable, the company must rely on external actors who have forest carbon credits, which can offset the amount of emissions produced. In the latter case, each ton of CO2 absorbed from forests or woodlands equals one carbon credit. Forestry projects and planned logging delay must be appraised by forestry doctors and can be of different types: forestry; renewable energy; waste management; and energy efficiency.

Take, for example, the location of a bank that covers 70 percent of its energy production through the installation of a photovoltaic system and the remaining 30 percent through the use of fossil fuels that produce, say, about thirty tons of CO2. The bank could approach a ‘reforestation association and finance it to obtain thirty carbon credits. These thirty credits certify that all the carbon dioxide produced by the bank has been offset by photosynthesis. The location of the trees is irrelevant since CO2 is evenly distributed throughout the atmosphere so that even if it is emitted in Italy, it can be absorbed by vegetation in New Zealand.

Against global warming

For a company, it is first necessary to measure how much CO2 it emits and from which sources it comes, so that it knows precisely how and how much to take action. Becoming aware of one’s carbon footprint is an essential step, especially in order to comply with European emissions management guidelines. Specifically, there are guidelines (Fit to 55 percent) that oblige companies to reduce their emissions by 30 percent and to achieve 30 percent of energy production from renewable sources by 2030. 

Measures against global warming, however, are not only the responsibility of companies, which are obliged to follow European directives on the parameters to be met: offsetting is first and foremost the responsibility of each citizen. In fact, there are individual footprint calculators that allow people to become aware of their emissions and suggest which parameters to change in their lifestyle to cultivate more sustainable habits. 

Phoresta’s model

But who is in the business of generating carbon credits? One example is that of Phoresta, an Ets (nonprofit) association co-founded by Carlo Manicardi in 2012, which aims to promote the actualization of the Kyoto Protocol targets, thus reducing the atmospheric concentration of CO2.

The particularity of Phoresta is that it moves on two parallel planes: on the one hand, it deals with offsetting and reforestation; on the other hand, it promotes dissemination on environmental issues. 

After calculating the emissions of companies, associations, as well as households and professionals, Phoresta prepares a program of interventions and investments that are actualized with the production of carbon credits generated by new reforestation or conservation of existing forests. So far, agreements have been made with more than thirty-five companies that can offset their emissions thanks to three realities: the Ossigeno Project, carried out with the Valle del Treja Regional Park (RM) and which provides that for 5 years an area of the 35-hectare reserve will be preserved from cutting; the Biodiversity Forest, a new forestation of an area near Bologna that absorbs about 3. 000 tons of CO2 and makes it possible to implement biodiversity in the area; and finally, the fo-RESTA project, in collaboration with the Monterano Regional Reserve (RM), which consists of preserving a 65-hectare reserve from cutting for sixteen years.

Making use of its network of contacts of sustainability experts and professionals and cooperation with authoritative institutions such as the CNR in Venice, Phoresta has established its own Academy, a scientific committee that takes care of dissemination through conferences, training courses, webinars based on primary scientific sources (NASA, NOAA, IARC, IPCC) to raise awareness of environmental issues.

It is precisely this dual soul of Phoresta that makes it possible to understand how important it is to become aware of how and how much our actions leave an imprint on the planet and what steps we can take.