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Glossary of offset terms Additionality - The reduction, avoidance, or sequestration of greenhouse gas emissions being over and above what would have occurred without the project as a direct incentive for reductions, in addition to the baseline. For example, a reduction would be non-additional if it were simply the result of a plant upgrading equipment for economic reasons. LEARN MORE » Afforestation - Planting of new forests on lands that have not been recently forested. Alternative energy - Energy derived from nontraditional sources (e.g., compressed natural gas, solar, hydroelectric and wind). Baselines - The establishment of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that would take place at a facility under normal operations without a reduction project being put into place, or the amount of emissions resulting from a business-as-usual scenario in the absence of an offset project. Baseline emissions - Emissions that would occur without project implementation (in a business-as-usual scenario). Baseline estimates are needed to determine the effectiveness of emissions reduction programs. LEARN MORE » Biofuel - Gas or liquid fuel made from plant material (biomass), including wood, wood waste, wood liquor, peat, railroad ties, wood sludge, spent sulfite liquors, agricultural waste, straw, tires, fish oils, tall oil, sludge waste, waste alcohol, municipal solid waste, landfill gases, other waste, and ethanol blended into motor gasoline. Business as usual - Existing and/or future energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the absence of an offset project. Carbon dioxide equivalent - A metric measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases based upon their global warming potential (GWP). Carbon dioxide equivalents are commonly expressed as "million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MMTCDE)." The carbon dioxide equivalent for a gas is derived by multiplying the amount of tons of a given gas by the associated GWP. The CO2e of a non-CO2 gas is calculated by multiplying the mass of the emissions of the non-CO2 gas by its GWP: MMTCDE= (million metric tons of a gas) * (GWP of the gas) For example, the GWP for methane is approximately 23. This means that the emission of one million metric tons of methane is equivalent to the emission of 23 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. LEARN MORE » Carbon intensity - The relative amount of carbon emitted per unit of energy or fuels consumed (e.g., 1.202 pounds per kWh. See emissions co-efficient/factor). Carbon sequestration - The uptake and storage of carbon. Trees and plants, for example, absorb carbon dioxide, release the oxygen, and store the carbon. Fossil fuels were at one time biomass and continue to store the carbon until burned. Carbon sinks - Carbon reservoirs and conditions that take in and store more carbon (i.e., carbon sequestration) than they release. Carbon sinks can serve to partially offset greenhouse gas emissions. Forests and oceans are large carbon sinks. Combined heat and power (CHP) - A master term for onsite power generation technologies that simultaneously produce electrical or mechanical energy and useful thermal energy. Cogeneration - The production of two useful forms of energy such as high-temperature heat and electricity from the same process. For example, while boiling water to generate electricity, the leftover steam can be sold for industrial processes or space heating. Co-benefits - Additional environmental, health, and socioeconomic benefits that arise from offset projects in addition to the greenhouse gas emissions benefit. For example, a policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions might reduce the combustion of coal, but when coal combustion is reduced, so too are the emissions of particulates and sulfur dioxide. The benefits associated with reductions in emissions of particulates and sulfur dioxide are the co-benefits of reductions in carbon dioxide. Deforestation - Those practices or processes that result in the change of forested lands to non-forest uses. This is often cited as one of the major causes of the enhanced greenhouse effect for two reasons: 1) the burning or decomposition of the wood releases carbon dioxide; and 2) trees that once removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the process of photosynthesis are no longer present and contributing to carbon storage. Distributed generation - The generation of electricity from small, modular, decentralized, grid-connected or off-grid energy systems located in or near the place where the energy is used. Emission inventory - A list of air pollutants emitted into a community's, state's, nation's, or the Earth's atmosphere in amounts per some unit time (e.g., day or year) by type of source. An emission inventory has both political and scientific applications. Emission Reductions Purchase Agreement - A contractual agreement between a project sponsor/implementer and an offset purchaser, whereby the offset purchaser promises to provide offset funding to the project sponsor/implementer and, in return, the project sponsor/implementer transfers all (or a portion of) rights and ownership of the project's emission reductions to the offset purchaser. Emissions coefficient/factor - A unique value for scaling emissions to activity data in terms of a standard rate of emissions per unit of activity (e.g., grams of carbon dioxide emitted per barrel of fossil fuel consumed). See carbon intensity. Greenhouse effect - The effect produced as greenhouse gases allow incoming solar radiation to pass through the Earth's atmosphere, but prevent part of the outgoing infrared radiation from the Earth's surface (and lower atmosphere) from escaping into outer space. This process occurs naturally and has kept the Earth's temperature about 59 degrees F warmer than it would otherwise be. Current life on Earth could not be sustained without the natural greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gas - A gas that contributes to the natural 'greenhouse effect'. The Kyoto Protocol covers a basket of six greenhouse gases produced by human activities: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride. An important natural greenhouse gas that is not covered by the protocol is water vapor. Greenhouse gas emissions benefit - The total amount of the reduction, avoidance, or sequestration of a greenhouse gas, calculated in a reliable and replicable manner. Leakage - The extent to which events occurring outside the project boundary tend to reduce a project's emissions reduction benefit. For example, avoiding deforestation in one place might lead to acceleration in deforestation in some other place. This can apply to all types of offset projects. Metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent offsets - One metric ton (2,205 pounds or 1.1 short tons) of carbon dioxide equivalent avoided, sequestered, or displaced. Monitoring and verification plan (M&V plan) - Emission reductions from offset projects must be accurately quantified and verified. Each project must have a monitoring and verification plan specific to that particular project that defines how, when, and by whom the quantification and verification will be done. To ensure proper quantification and verification methodologies, the M&V plans are most often written with the help of experts familiar with the specifics of a project. Offsets - The results of a specific project or action implemented to avoid, sequester or displace greenhouse gas emissions. Permanence - Offset projects must permanently avoid, sequester or displace emissions, rather than temporarily sequester them. Point source - A single, identifiable source that discharges pollutants into the environment, such as smokestacks, sewers, ditches, or pipes. Reforestation - Replanting of forests on lands that have recently been harvested. Renewable energy - Energy obtained from sources that are essentially inexhaustible, unlike fossil fuels which exist in a finite supply. Renewable sources of energy include wood, waste, geothermal, wind, photovoltaic, and solar thermal energy. Replicability - The ease with which a project can be replicated. Short ton of carbon dioxide equivalent offsets - One short ton (2,000 lbs. or 0.907 metric tons) of carbon dioxide equivalent avoided, sequestered, or displaced.  top |
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If you have questions or want to discuss a project concept, please contact Peter Weisberg at 503.238.1915 x207.
Step 1: Submit a Project Information Note. For forestry projects, submit a Forestry Project Information Note Step 2: Upon The Climate Trust's request, submit a Project Information Document. Step 3: Negotiate an Emission Reduction Purchase Agreement.
Additionality guidelines Baseline guidelines Conversion metrics Other resources |
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