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CO2 compensation: what is CO2 neutral?
‘CO2 neutral’ means that CO2 emission caused by the use of
energy generated by fossil fuels is being compensated by
- Taken CO2 out of the atmosphere
- Reducing CO2 emission by using sustainable energy
CO2 is taken out of the
atmosphere by plants & trees that grow and store the CO2 in
their tissue in the form of carbon. A tree is actually a huge storage facility of carbon.
On top of that trees also give us oxygen (O2) as a 'by-product' of this storage process.
By planting sufficient numbers of new trees the extra emission of CO2 can be compensated for. CO2 emission can also be prevented - by using sustainable energy.
There is no emission of greenhouse gasses involved in the production of energy
generated by wind, water or sunlight.
How is the
CO2 sequestration being realized ?
Cleanbits realizes CO2 sequestration in two ways:
- By means of CO2 sequestration in forests
- By means of CO2 emission reduction through sustainable energy
projects worldwide
Cleanbits equally invests in both options. In both cases CO2 credits are obtained via
the ClimateNeutral Group.
How can I be sure of the actual CO2 sequestration ?
The sustainable forests providing Cleanbits’ CO2 compensation are being kept
by the ClimateNeutral Group. Since 1990, this organisation has planted a
huge number of hectares of forest in, amongst other countries, the Czech Republic, Malaysia and Equador. The woods
all carry the FSC- quality mark, guaranteeing sustainable forestry. The independent
SGS (Société Générale de Surveillance) bears responsibility for the measurement
of the amount of CO2 being taken out of the atmosphere by the forests, Triodos
Climate Clearing House is responsible for the registration of Cleanbits’ CO2
compensation, expressed in CO2 credits.
Which part
of CO2 emission as a result of internet use will be compensated for by
Cleanbits?
Cleanbits compensates for the CO2 emission that is caused by the
electricity use of web sites, servers, racks and data centres. Hence, Cleanbits
does not compensate for the CO2 emission that is caused by using your computer
and surfing on the internet or as a consequence of the manufacturing of the digital equipment.
How does Cleanbits calculate the energy consumption of my web site?
It is not possible to calculate the exact energy consumption (hence, CO2 emission) of every single website. These data are simply not traceable at
the data centres. In order to be as accurate as possible, Cleanbits has
executed an exhaustive estimation in order to define the average electricity
consumption of a web site. This was done by means of hundreds of thousands of
domain data including for example the energy use of email traffic, network equipment,
emergency generators and cooling systems. Although the estimation will not exactly
equal the energy use (and CO2emission) of every individual website, this will be definitely more the
case with an increasing number of Cleanbits members.
Does
Cleanbits only compensate for CO2 emission or also for other greenhouse gases?
Next to CO2, the combustion of fossil fuels also
results in the emission of other greenhouse gases. Cleanbits compensates for
these emissions as well. The quantity of these gases is not mentioned
separately by Cleanbits, but it is expressed in CO2 equivalents.
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