Carbon credit cost comparison

Another year has flown past & it's time for me to buy another years worth of carbon credits. I did some research to check out the prices. Approx prices were:

Carbon Planet: AUD$23 per tonne
Climate friendly: AUD$24.20 per tonne
Easy Being Green: USD AUD$20 per tonne

Greenfleet: USD AUD$8.80 per tonne - They do not retail carbon credits, but offer an un-accredited, unregulated tree planting scheme. Greenfleet is a charity so payments are tax deductible.

[Dave Sag from Carbon Planet commented on this post and clarified: "Out of all the companies you cite, only Carbon Planet employs a full time carbon emissions audit team to help businesses reduce their emissions through engineering, rather than simple offsetting."

Dave, thank you for going to the trouble to a. check links to your site & b. educate people like me who are interested in the environment. (Carbon Planet have a superb website and blog too.) Thanks also for picking up my typos on currencies, the amounts are all Aussie dollars.]

Please note: While buying carbon credits does help clear the conscience, please remember to:
a. Reduce the amount of energy you use (switching off lights, car pooling, buying local produce etc)
b. Buy green energy
c. Offset the carbon you really can't help creating with carbon credits

~ End of preaching ~

:)

Comments

[Dave Sag]

Nice roundup but it would have been better for you to price them all in one currency, and also to keep in mind that Greenfleet do not retail carbon credits, but offer an un-accredited, unregulated tree planting scheme. Our of all the companies you cite, only Carbon Planet employs a full time carbon emissions audot team to help businesses reduce their emissions through engineerin, rather than simple offsetting.

Cheers
Dave Sag
CEO - Carbon Planet Pty Ltd
http://www.carbonplanet.com

[Denzil Jude]

Unfortunately, David is not telling us the full story about his carbon credits. Carbon Planet retails tree credits from the NSW GGAS scheme (founded in 2003). The credits are deemed from trees planted by Forests NSW in 1997; a good 6 years before the NSW scheme took effect. Hence, credits bought from Carbon Planet do nothing for the atmosphere, as Forests NSW have a mandate to keep trees in the ground. Your better off supporting the non-profit Greenfleet who at least takes your donation and plants additional trees with it.

[Rowan]

Thanks Denzil for your comment. The carbon credit market is starting to feel like a bit of a minefield :(

- Is there regulation coming in?
- Is there info to help consumers make an informed choice re where to purchase carbon credits? If so, please let me know where.

By the way Denzil, do you represent an organisation - what's your background? You sound very knowledgeable!

[Denzil Jude]

Haha... I like to fly under the radar. Call me the carbon cowboy!

I looked into carbon offsetting a cafe a little a while ago and learnt a fair bit about it all. The Total Environment Centre (www.tec.org.au) will soon have a scorecard which rates different offset products. Ive spoken to them about carbon planet and they know about the quality of their product, and whilst they cant say directly, I think we can infer that CP will get the rating they deserve

[Rowan]

Ah, I see. Well thanks for sharing your knowledge here! The site www.tec.org.au is very informative, I hadn't come across it before. Will check it from now on.

Good luck with your cafe / other green efforts!