Carbon offset is a carbon trading technique that allows entities such as companies and the government to compensate (referred as offsetting) their carbon emission by participating (in an active or only financial ways) project that aim to reduce the carbon amount on the planet.
Activities could be to pay for another company to remove a certain amount of carbon from the atmosphere, in order for the company to be able to emit the amount of carbon and still be carbon-neutral.
Companies can also prevent activities that would emit carbon to create an offset, by for example stopping another company to deforest a certain area, which would cause an increase in carbon.
Companies like Apple have the challenge to become carbon neutral in the near future (2025), and since it’s impossible for a company with that dimensions to actually emit zero carbon, they will invest a lot into carbon offsetting.
Microsoft and other companies also talked about a legacy offset, where they would like to offset all the carbon emitted in the entire operative period of the company since it’s foundation.
tags: climate-change resource: How Sustainable Are Tech Companies, Really? - YouTube