Carbon Offsetting - What is it?

Added: (Sat Oct 10 2009)

Pressbox (Press Release) - The article explains what carbon offsetting is and the fact that some environmentalists doubt the effectiveness of the carbon sets that are available or used.

Carbon offsetting is a process in which you compensate for the carbon emissions that you may have caused as part of something that you have done. This carbon emission is considered unavoidable and therefore to ensure that the environment is not harmed by this, carbon offsetting is opted for. This is how various companies are not claiming to be carbon neutral and large music bands are releasing albums that are carbon neutral today.

As part of carbon offsetting, these companies assess the amount of carbon that has been released and then offset it by funding projects that restore carbon. This form of carbon offsetting has taken a financial form and large forestation, upgrades for power plants and research and development programmes for greener products and equipment are being funded.

There is currently some debate about the authenticity of the equipment that is used to calculate carbon offsets and some environmentalists feel that they are not effective. There is also this issue of funding projects that do not complete their full cycle for them to become completely active to aid in restoration of the harm done.

Today, carbon offsetting is voluntary and there is no directive by the government to ensure that the carbon released by the companies while carrying out their work needs to be replaced. However, with the rate at which the environment is being polluted, there may come a time when carbon offsetting may become mandatory. And maybe that would be a much more stricter but effective way of dealing with the situation.
Mel writes about Carbon offsetting among other environment related topics.