Why should I, as a private individual/business owner/school/public authority, calculate and offset my carbon footprint?
As inhabitants of Earth, each of us consumes natural resources every day and thus leaves our mark on the planet: we use electricity, buy technology, travel, and heat our homes—all of which produce emissions that affect our atmosphere. And not all emissions are avoidable. In recent years, we humans have caused so many emissions and protected so little of nature that the climate is changing and ecosystems and life on our planet are under threat. Increasingly extreme weather events such as floods and droughts and the rapid extinction of species are clear evidence of this. Yet nature is the basis of our existence. Thanks to nature, we have food, habitat, clean water, and clear air to breathe every day. It is time for us to give something back and allow nature to exist and recover without human influence. In this way, we can take responsibility, stabilize our climate, and protect life on our planet. By offsetting ourcarbon footprint—for example, by protecting large areas of intact nature—we prevent the release of huge amountsof CO2, preserve important functions of forests for our climate, and protect habitats and biodiversity.
Awareness and the need for action have long been at the top of the agenda for the international community. Goal 13 of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals therefore stipulates that immediate action must be taken to combat climate change and its effects. Goal 15 also stipulates that terrestrial ecosystems must be urgently protected and their positive effects preserved. With ourCO2 calculator and the associated compensation, two of the UN sustainability goals can be achieved at once. If you are interested, we can also provide materials that institutions, companies, and private individuals can use to communicate their commitment and thus show that they are leading by example, taking responsibility, and acting sustainably.