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GOLDSTANDARD
OUR IMPACT
INTRODUCTION FOR ECO-CONSCIOUS INDIVIDUALS

How to take action

against climate change

Measure, reduce, offset.

By being conscious of the choices you make and their effects on the environment, you can reduce your own carbon footprint and offset your unavoidable emissions to support the transition to a low-carbon sustainable future. 

 

Offsetting 101 Guide

Go Climate Positive!

We all have a role to play in the fight against climate change. Our actions,
however small, can have a profound impact when combined with thousands of others wanting to make a difference.

Learn how to go Climate+

KEY

kgCO2e - kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent
tCO2e - tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
MtCO2e - million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
GtCO2e - giga tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent

1 PERSON 1 PERSON/YEAR SAVINGS 12,1 tCO2e 15,9 tCO2e 3,8 tCO2e SEE SAVINGS FOR 1 PERSON
100,000 PEOPLESAVINGS100,000 PEOPLE/YEAR1,2 MtCO2e1,6 MtCO2e0,4 MtCO2eSEE SAVINGS FOR 100,000 PEOPLE
508,000 PEOPLE508 MILLION PEOPLE/YEAR SAVINGS6,1 GtCO2e8,1 GtCO2e1,9 GtCO2eSEE SAVINGS PER POPULATION OF THE EU - 508,000 MILLION PEOPLE

1.1 BILLION PEOPLEEnough to meet the 2030 emissions gap to stay within the 2C limit*1.1 BILLION PEOPLE/YEAR SAVINGS13,4 GtCO2e17,5 GtCO2e4,1 GtCO2eSEE SAVINGS PER POPULATION OF NORTH AMERICAN AND THE EU - 1.1 BILLION PEOPLE

* under the conditional NDC scenario>> 

references and assumptions

 Activities

Assumptions (based on one year)

Source of data

Drink bottled water vs tap water

Drinking 2 litres per day

How Bad are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything - Mike Berners-Lee

A weekend newspaper - to landfill vs recycled

Once a week

How Bad are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything - Mike Berners-Lee

Buy asparagus - air-freighted long-haul vs local + seasonal

Once a month

How Bad are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything - Mike Berners-Lee

Take a bath vs take a shower

Once per day

How Bad are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything - Mike Berners-Lee

Dishwasher at 65°C vs at 55°C

Dishwasher running twice per week

How Bad are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything - Mike Berners-Lee

Drive by car vs take a train or bus

Travelling 12,000 miles/year

How Bad are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything - Mike Berners-Lee

Wash at 40°C - tumble dry vs at 30°C - dry on the line

2 washes per week

How Bad are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything - Mike Berners-Lee

100 watt incandescent bulb vs low energy bulb

Consumption over one year

How Bad are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything - Mike Berners-Lee

High meat diet >100g/day vs plant-based diet

Average daily intake of 2000 Kcal per day

University of Oxford Study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10584-014-1169-1

Holiday in New York by plane

Just transport from London to New York return economy

https://www.atmosfair.de/en/offset/flight/

Holiday in South of France by train

Just transport from London to Marseille return on train

https://www.dw.com/en/trains-vs-planes-whats-the-real-cost-of-travel/a-45209552

 

 

 

Location

Population

Source of data

Population of the EU

508 Million

https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/figures/living_en

Population of North America

579 Million

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_continents_by_population

     

Type of data

Figure

Source of data

Emissions Gap

The gap in 2030 between emission levels under full implementation of conditional NDCs and those consistent with least-cost pathways to the 2°C target is 13 GtCO2e.

http://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.
11822/26895/EGR2018_FullReport_EN.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Go Climate Positive!

We all have a role to play in the fight against climate change. Our actions,
however small, can have a profound impact when combined with thousands of others wanting to make a difference.

Learn how to go Climate+

KEY

kgCO2e - kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent
tCO2e - tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
MtCO2e - million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent
GtCO2e - giga tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent

Tips to reduce your daily footprint

HOME

When Ecology makes a rhyme wih economy

  • Turn off lights
  • Turn down heating
  • Properly insulate + draught proof homes
  • Switch to energy efficient lightbulbs
  • Unplug devices
  • Plant a garden
  • Line dry your clothes
  • Switch to paperless billing

TRAVEL

Reducing mileage of the average new car from 24,000 to 16,000 km a year will save more than a tonne of CO2

 

  • Walk or cycle to work
  • Switch to public transport
  • Lease electric cars
  • Reduce airline travel

 

SHOPPING

Apple says that 80% of the carbon footprint of a new laptop comes from manufacturing and distribution, not use in the home

 

FOOD

For the ancient Greeks, to be a vegetarian had ritual, philosophical and medical purposes.

  • Eat less meat - livestock (especially beef + lamb) 
  • Buy locally-sourced, seasonal foods
  • Reduce or eliminate your consumption of bottled water
ENERGY

Reducing mileage of the average new car from 24,000 to 16,000 km a year will save more than a tonne of CO2

 

  • Switch to an electricity tariff supplied by renewable energy sources
  • Invest in your own sources of renewable energy
  • Support suppliers that are working to provide 100% clean energy
ADVOCATE

Apple says that 80% of the carbon footprint of a new laptop comes from manufacturing and distribution, not use in the home

Look out for companies that have set a Science Based Target

  • Vocally support clean energy with friends, family and colleagues
  • Tell your representatives how you value renewables and climate-friendly policies 
  • Vote with your wallet! Support businesses that take climate action

Measure your carbon footprint

Understand how your travel, energy use, diet and other lifestyle choices make an impact on the climate by using WWF’s carbon footprint calculator

Average monthly CO2 emissions per capita

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1 ton/month or less

Most of European countries, emerging economies and developing countries

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2 tons/month

Australia, Canada, Estonia, Luxembourg, United States + several oil exporting countries

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3 tons/month or more

Curacao, Kuwait, Qatar, Trinidad & Tobago

Climate+ projectS also support local communities

In addition to protecting the climate, every Gold Standard Climate+ project also supports local communities with sustainable development benefits like providing safe drinking water, protecting forests, improving health or creating local jobs

Offset your emissions

Offset your unavoidable emissions

Most of us cannot yet reduce our carbon footprint to zero. After reducing your climate impact, you can support the transition to a low-carbon future by offsetting your unavoidable emissions with high-impact carbon credits from Gold Standard-certified projects.

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CLEAN WATER ACCESS

$12.00 USD/TONNE

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BIOGAS

$19.00 USD/TONNE

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WIND

$10.00 USD/TONNE

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SOLAR

$12.00 USD/TONNE

COOKSTOVES

$15.00 USD/TONNE

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FORESTRY

$18.00 USD/TONNE

Why offset with Gold Standard?

In a word, impact. We’re considered the most rigorous climate standard by many NGOs, including WWF and the David Suzuki Foundation. This means that every dollar, Euro, pound or peso you spend offsetting creates more value for local communities and ecosystems and contributes in a measurable way to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

 

We’ve even quantified it. Check out the independent study on the economic value delivered from Gold Standard-certified projects.