How to better understand the carbon inventory?
To understand the definition of carbon inventory, it is necessary to understand what the term "carbon" means. Adaptation to climate change is necessary to respond to the emergency, but mitigation is essential to limit the costs of adaptation.
Carbon neutrality:
A key part of the international political agenda since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, carbon neutrality is now a universal goal, in an attempt to keep global warming “well below 2°C” compared to pre-industrial levels.
Carbon offsetting :
Offsetting one's carbon footprint involves purchasing carbon credits from an emissions-reduction project carried out in a given region, against one's own carbon footprint.
However, some companies are hostile to this approach, preferring to use the sole technique of reforestation and tree planting.
Understand the Carbon Footprint in 8 minutes!
Corporate energy transition is a major challenge that companies must share in thegoal of carbon neutrality by 2050, as set out in the Paris Agreement, and is primarily a process of decarbonizing corporate activities.
For this approach to be optimal, it is important for companies to draw up a Bilan Carbone of their greenhouse gas emissions(BEGES). This detailed accounting will enable every company to take stock of its emissions. This is a prerequisite for building a reduction strategy: quantitative reduction of consumption (reduction of waste) and choice of less carbon-intensive solutions, particularly in terms of energy.
A little history...
Historically, offsetting was born out of the 1995 Kyoto Protocol. It was first and foremost a way for countries that had made emission reduction commitments to be able to achieve them elsewhere, outside their own territory.
All countries in the world have made reduction commitments and therefore this differentiation no longer exists. Offsetting should therefore be pursued in the so-called developed countries.
Despite more than 10 years of existence in France, carbon offsetting still lacks neutral, consistent information for all audiences. That's why Global Climate Initiatives, like a number of other players already involved, is offering educational information on the carbon offset mechanism.
Every citizen, company, local authority or event organizer can voluntarily offset theirCO2 emissions by purchasing carbon credits from a carbon reduction and offsetting operator, a project that avoidsCO2 emissions.
This is equivalent to all or part of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced, calculated according to a standardised system and using approved tools.
Carbon offsetting is a tool to further the environmental and energy transition. It incentivises financial support for the deployment of less emitting solutions.
Its carbon impact is minimal in terms of the climate as a whole, but through its transformational nature, an offset project plays its part in preserving our climate.
Forests play an essential role as carbon sinks, through the sequestration of CO2 by trees. The planting and sustainable management of forests are therefore key actions in the fight against climate change.
To guarantee the quality and transparency of these actions, labels are awarded to carbon offset projects, ensuring their credibility and effectiveness.
The price of the carbon credit reflects the value of this contribution as we move towards ambitious climate targets.