What are carbon offsets?

Carbon offsets are the new way to undo the damage done from carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions that have caused negative effects on our environment. Basically, an offset is something that is paid into for the use on projects that will potentially help offset the damage. Such projects could be wind farms, hydroelectric dams, destruction of landfill methane, or reforestation projects, to name a few.

Carbon offsets are measured in metric tons where one offset represents the reduction or offset of the damage caused by one metric ton of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas.

Carbon offsets sold at SFO

Typically, larger corporations and governments buy offsets in order to meet the terms of compliance caps from the amount of carbon dioxide they are permitted to emit. But there is also a smaller market for carbon offsets-the individual who wants to offset their own personal carbon footprint.

The San Francisco Airport (SFO) is the first airport to provide three kiosks, which they have named Climate Passport kiosks, where one can voluntarily purchase offsets in order to compensate for the carbon dioxide their particular flight will produce.

Basically, you enter in your flight information, starting point and destination, and the kiosk will calculate the amount of carbon dioxide in pounds your particular participation in the flight will create.

You can then purchase the amount of offsets ($13.50 per ton) needed to cover the portion for which you are responsible. To put his into perspective, a round-trip from SFO to New York's JFK will cost $23.42. Currently, the money will go to a reforestation project in Mendocino County and to a bio-diesel fueling project in San Francisco.

The future of offset kiosks

There are skeptics and critics of these offsets and the projects they fund, but at this time, at least those who want to contribute to projects to offset the negative environmental impact their carbon footprint creates have a convenient place to do so right at the San Francisco Airport and maybe in the future we will see more of these carbon offset kiosks pop up.