Description

A carbon offset is a tradeable unit of carbon that represents the removal and sequestration of a quantity of CO2 from the atmosphere, which is used to compensate for the emission of CO2 released elsewhere. ¹ Carbon offsets use various types of carbon sequestration to pull CO2 from the atmosphere and store it, such as the restoration of forests, storing CO2 in rock formations and other technologies. Carbon offsets may not be linked to mandatory regulations and are generally traded on the voluntary carbon market by any stakeholder that wishes to reduce their carbon footprint.

IPBES (2018) ¹