What are emissions and why are they dangerous?

Many of us have daily activities that create emissions of carbon dioxide, including driving the car and heating the house. Our environment has a natural system for consuming a certain amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Trees consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen, but we are emitting much more than our forests can consume at the same time that we are constantly reducing the amount of forested land on earth.

What is a greenhouse gas footprint?

A greenhouse gas footprint is the amount of emissions your activities create. The average resident of planet earth emits 4.5 tons annually. Americans emit an average of 20 tons each year!

Will my offset donation make me carbon neutral?

No, carbon offsets cannot make you carbon neutral. The only way to reduce your carbon emissions and move towards carbon neutrality is to cut down on activities that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. We encourage you to learn more about how you can actually reduce your emissions in addition to offsetting them. We also encourage you to practice what we like to call the FOUR R's:

REDUCE

REUSE

RECYCLE

REFOREST!!!

What kinds of offsets exist?

There are four major categories of offset projects:

1. Biosequestration projects focus on creating more biogical consumption of carbon dioxide. This means planting trees, protecting forests, and making agricultural and other land-management practices optimal for carbon intake.
2. Renewable energy projects can directly reduce the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere.
3. Project to increase energy efficiency also directly reduce the level of emissions.
4. Greenhouse gas projects prevent emissions from reaching the atmosphere by capturing the gases. These projects are often related to the methane released by landfills and agriculture, and industrial processes.

What kind of offsets does Haiti KONPAY offer?

KONPAY's carbon offset program is a biosequestration process. We plant trees that can consume an amount of carbon dioxide equal to the emissions you wish to offset. There has been some controversy surrounding offset projects where trees are planted because it can be difficult to ensure the quality of these offsets. Concerns center on permanence (the threat that trees will be cut down) and leakage (where protection of one forest results in logging in another).

KONPAY has several strategies to ensure that its offsets are high quality:

• For each ton of carbon dioxide you offset with KONPAY, we will plant six trees. A tree can consume one ton over the course of forty years. KONPAY guarantees the protection of trees planted for the carbon offset program for at least seven years.
• The majority of trees planted in the program will be fruit trees and the greenbelts will be managed by local community groups to encourage the protection of the trees.
• A portion of your offset donation will go to alternative energy initiatives. It is critical to seek an alternative to charcoal, especially for cooking fuel. Without a viable alternative being promoted on a large scale, tree planting projects will face a constant threat. KONPAY will seek a feasible alternative and promote it first in the city of Jacmel, and then throughout the south and southeast.
• KONPAY is also coordinating the Haitian National Coalition for the Environment and its nation-wide alternative energy campaign.

What is additionality, and how can I be sure my donation won't fund business-as-usual, and will actually counterbalance my annual emissions?

Additionality means that the project funded by your offset donation must create a new emissions reduction. Your donation cannot be used to fund an already existing program, or in other words, we can't use it to plant trees we would have planted otherwise. In order for your donation to function as an offset of your emissions, we must plant new trees that wouldn't be planted otherwise. The greenbelt tree planting project funded by your carbon offsetting donation is a unique program established specifically to offset emissions and is not business as usual for KONPAY.

That being said, offsets are most effective and of the highest quality when they can link into an existing long-term program. KONPAY's offsets are quality offsets that are a unique and crucial part of our environmental program in Haiti.

Want to learn more?

We recommend Clean Air/Cool Planet's Consumers' Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers (clicking on the title will link to the PDF which will begin to download).