What is Carbon Footprint and how can you compensate?

The carbon footprint is an environmental indicator that reflects the amount of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) generated, which contribute significantly to global warming, and are produced by a person, a group, an organization, a company or even a product or service.

To know the carbon footprint of businesses or people has been essential to employ measures such as the Paris Agreement, which was established in 2016 and was developed in the Framework Convention of the United Nations convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in order to intensify the actions and investments to reduce GHG emissions at the global level.

Among the greenhouse gases, which have a more significant impact is the carbon dioxide (CO2), that remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years and still more time in the oceans. CO2 is the most responsible of the carbon footprint. Their emissions must be reduced or compensated for, to mitigate the effects that climate change is having. 

How do you compensate?

There are different ways to reduce or offset the carbon footprint; for example, through changing habits, such as walking or using a bicycle as a means of transport, reduce the consumption of energy and opt for the generation of products and services that have a minimal impact on the environment, they are some of the options of companies or individuals that seek to contribute to a better planet. 

However, in addition to reducing the carbon footprint can also be compensated. The compensation has become another alternative for mitigating the effects of climate change. A way to offset the carbon footprint is through the nature-based solutions for CO2 capture.

Currently, Colombia has a diversity of conservation projects that mitigate the effects of climate change with the monitoring and protection of forests. These projects are mostly developed under the methodology REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation), seek to reduce the impact of climate change, to support the development of local economies, and promote the improvement of the quality of life of communities in protected territories.