How much does CO2 offsetting cost?

The amount to be offset depends on the level of your emissions.

According to our very conservative calculations, 60 kg_{of CO2} are bound per^{square meter} in our protected areas. We^protect 1^{square meter} for €1. This results in a cost of €16.70 per ton_{of CO2}. With €100, you can ensure that 6 tons_{of CO2}remain permanently bound. According to the German Federal Environment Agency , the average greenhouse gas emissions per person in Germany are 10.3 tons_{of CO2 equivalents}(_CO2e) – offsetting this would cost €172.

This amount includes:

direct refinancing of land purchases and thus, direct and permanent protection of a wilderness area together with our sister foundations in Peru and Canada
annual property tax of the nature reserve in the project land
Research into biodiversity and carbon fluxes together with local partners
environmental education
administrative expenses

This makes compensation with Wilderness International comparatively very inexpensive. This is partly because, unlike other compensation projects, the wilderness areas already exist and do not require any maintenance, and partly because we keep our own administrative costs to a minimum. Furthermore, we are one of the few providers that, as a project foundation, combines full responsibility for the data basis and compensation projects, including research activities, and therefore has no transmission costs. Wilderness International does not act as an intermediary or for economic gain in any way. Our time horizon is based on the age of the ecosystems with their trees that are more than 1,000 years old.