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Frequently Asked Questions
Want to know more about My Green Debt and our responsibility to tackle climate change? This section should provide the answers but if it doesn't please email us.
Questions about this website
-
What is a 'Green Debt'?
-
Sometimes 'carbon dioxide' is mentioned, sometimes just 'carbon'. Is there
a difference?
-
Why does My Green Debt focus on my 'carbon footprint', are there not
more dangerous gases than carbon dioxide?
- How is My Green Debt
calculated?
-
I use wood as a fuel in my home, why isn't this included in the
calculator?
- Should I include travel I do as
part of my job when completing the calculations?
-
Is the information that I provide stored safely? Who gets to see it?
- Will My Green Debt cost me
anything?
-
Why does My Green Debt exist and where do you get your money from?
-
How do I get in touch with My Green Debt?
Questions about Carbon Offsetting
-
What is 'Carbon Offsetting'?
-
Is it okay to just offset all of my Green Debt? It's
much easier than any of the solutions!
- How do I know if the offset
websites listed on My Green Debt are actually using my money effectively?
Questions about Climate Change
- Why should I take steps to
stop climate change whilst others don't? Surely the
Government should act for everyone?
- I just don't think my
individual actions will make a difference - won't they
just be a drop in a vast ocean?
-
Surely If I don't buy that plane ticket the plane will still fly anyway?
-
Why should I make a sacrifice like cutting down on flying when other
people don't bother? They'll benefit from my self-restraint as much as I
will!
-
Why Don't I See Much about Biofuels on
My Green Debt? I thought they were one of the ideal solutions to this
problem?
- What are 'Carbon Credits'?
What is a 'Green Debt'
Most of us are pretty familiar with the concept of debt and may well have experienced financial debt at some stage in our lives. It's a simple principle - you borrow something that you need now with the aim of returning it in the future. A 'green debt' applies this principle to our behaviour towards our planet. At the moment many of us treat the planet like a bank with endless supplies of free money that never expects repayment. Sounds too good to be true? It is. It's becoming increasingly apparent that we cannot continue to 'borrow' the earth's resources, particularly fossil fuels, at the current rate without seriously affecting the global climate.
We are all responsible for this excessive borrowing to varying degrees and like any debt the first stage of reducing our borrowing is working out just how much we owe. The best way to do this without overcomplicating matters is to measure the amount of carbon dioxide that each of us is responsible for producing (see below). Such a measurement is often referred to as a 'carbon footprint'.
Sometimes 'carbon dioxide' is mentioned, sometimes just 'carbon'. Is there a difference?
Technically the answer to this is yes, carbon is a chemical element that's found in everything that's alive on this planet. Carbon dioxide (Co2) is a gas which is formed of two chemical elements - carbon and oxygen.
However, for the purposes of this website the answer is no. We use the term carbon for brevity in some cases but we are actually referring to the gas carbon dioxide, the substance which forms the basis of all of our calculations.
Why Does My Green Debt focus on my 'carbon footprint', are there not more dangerous gases than carbon dioxide?
It is true that carbon dioxide is only one of the 'greenhouse gases' that contribute towards global warming. There are others and they are much more powerful: (The figures in brackets are the global warming effects of these gases relative to carbon dioxide).
- Methane (23)
- Nitrous oxide (296)
- Chlorofluorocarbons (6,000 - 14,000)
- Hydrofluorocarbons (12 - 12,000)
- Sulphur hexaflouride (22,000)
You might be thinking that because these gases are much more powerful we
should probably focus on those rather than carbon dioxide. The difference
is the scale of the gases produced - there are thousands more tonnes of
carbon dioxide released due to human activity than any of these other
gases and this more than compensates for the relative 'weakness' of carbon
dioxide compared to these other gases. Ideally we would measure these
other gases too but for simplicity and ease of comparison My Green Debt
focuses on the amount of carbon dioxide that we produce. In some instances
we do factor in other gases (for example the methane produced by cows!)
and it's worth remembering that cutting down on carbon producing
activities will also reduce the production of these other gases in many
cases.
In addition to these gases there are also other polluting activities, such as domestic, industrial and radioactive waste, which harm the environment and cannot be continued indefinitely. We are looking at ways to include these other factors in the calculations.
How is My Green Debt Calculated
It's a simple of process of answering a few questions about your life. Nothing too intrusive we hope. We ask you to tell us information about the following aspects of your life.
Home -
carbon produced by the fuels used in your home
Travel - we ask you to list the journeys that you make by car, plane and
public transport.
Shopping - we ask you a few questions about your shopping habits.
We use this information to work out how much carbon dioxide you
individually produce in one year. If you can provide accurate information
you'll get a pretty accurate answer! We do use some estimates where we
have to but a lot less than the vast majority of 'carbon footprint'
calculators on the web.
There's much more detail on the calculations in the 'How it Works' section.
I use wood as a fuel in my home, why isn't this included in the calculator?
Wood does produce carbon when it's burned, but there is a key difference between this carbon and that produced by burning fossil fuels: Wood as a fuel source is capable of recapturing this carbon in a few years compared to millions it takes for fossil fuel sources to complete the same process. Of course this relies on the assumption that the tree you are burning has been replanted but this is a fair assumption to make, particularly in the UK where the amount of forested land is actually increasing at the moment.
It is fair to say that burning wood is therefore almost totally carbon neutral - it doesn't increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If you can use it as a fuel source in place of fossil fuels, do.
Should I include travel I do as part of my job when completing the calculations?
Many jobs, particularly the best paid ones, require the employee to travel large distances to perform their duties. If you have a job like this you're probably wondering if you should include these miles travelled for work in your Green Debt calculation. It's an important question especially if you fly a lot with work. Business flights tend to be in the spacious business or first class seats and are therefore the carbon footprint of these flights can be enormous. A first class return flight from London to Sydney (with the wider impact factored in) is responsible for 14 tonnes of carbon dioxide (the national average Green Debt for one person is 11 tonnes). A few of these business flights and your Green Debt will skyrocket.
But is it really fair to include them? After all you are not travelling as an end consumer - you are travelling as part of a business which produces products and services. You can argue that the carbon from your journey should be included in the Green Debt associated with the end products of your business and therefore attributed to consumers via the shopping / indirect Green Debt calculation. The government tells us that the indirect Green Debt accounts for half of the national total. If we assume they have included the carbon produced by your work-related journeys in this calculation then if these journeys were to be included separately in your Green Debt calculation they would effectively be double counted.
However, this is perhaps a dangerous stance to take, particularly if you consider that many business journeys are not strictly necessary. (For example, a flight to the USA to take part in a meeting that could easily have been joined via video conferencing). Although these journeys are for the benefit of the business the decision to take them is of course fuelled by individuals, whether it is the individual travelling, their boss or ultimately the shareholders of the company that they work for. If we are to take all of these flights out of the individual's 'Green Debt' calculation it removes the incentive for individuals to cut down on business travel. As these journeys are some of the most superfluous that society makes it's probably best to focus our attention on cutting them down more than the journeys to take holidays and see loved ones which will involve personal sacrifices that many are not prepared to make.
Ultimately you have to decide whether to include these journeys or not. For reasons of accuracy, the double counting issue mentioned above and fair comparison with others we suggest that you do not include these journeys. However, if you decide not to include them don't forget them, particularly if you are in a position to influence the amount of travel that takes place where you work. Disappointingly few of today's top executives have shown strong leadership on this issue. As climate change gets worse those that do will be highly respected. If you have the chance to join them we urge you to do so.
Is the information that I provide stored safely? Who gets to see it?
The information you provide is stored on our secure database in accordance with the Data Protection Act. This information is only visible to the people at My Green Debt who have access to this database. We don't sell it on to anyone else.
Will My Green Debt cost me anything?
No. Not a penny. There is no signing up fee and no ongoing membership fee. You may of course find yourself forking out for some of the solutions that we suggest but in many cases the financial expenditure will be offset partly and sometimes completely by reduced fuel bills as a result of your investment.
Why does My Green Debt exist and where do you get your money from?
My Green Debt exists to help generate awareness of the debt
we owe to the environment and provide a useful tool to enable us to do
something about it.
There is not, and never will be, any charge for using My Green Debt. The
products and services that are listed in the offsetting and reduction
sections usually do cost money but all these websites and companies are
completely independent from My Green Debt.
Thanks to the wonders of the internet My Green Debt costs very little to
set up and maintain. We don't need much money and that's why we don't ask
you for any.
How do I get in touch with My Green Debt?
If you have any feedback, comments, suggestions, questions or ideas please email us.
What is 'Carbon Offsetting'
Carbon offsetting is the idea that you can reduce the impact of your carbon emissions by investing in projects that help reduce the amount carbon dioxide produced by mankind. Essentially this means you pay for someone else (another company or individual) to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions to 'offset' the carbon dioxide emissions caused by your lifestyle.
One of the most simple and popular offsetting techniques available is the sponsorship of tree planting schemes. Trees 'breathe' carbon dioxide and release oxygen so more trees naturally bring down the level of carbon in the atmosphere. Another popular idea is the sponsorship of renewable energy projects. You are helping replace the traditional carbon producing methods (coal, gas and oil). More and more offsetting techniques are becoming available; perhaps the most interesting is the development of carbon credits.
Offsetting is justifiably a controversial topic in the fight against climate change. If you'd like to use offsetting as part of your efforts to fight climate change we recommend that you have a quick read of the next answer to find out why it's causing such a stir.
Is it okay to just offset all of my Green Debt? It's much easier than any of the solutions!
No, unfortunately not! The plain truth is that offsetting is just a temporary measure and doesn't really undo the damage caused by our Green Debt. It's often claimed that offsetting is a relatively cheap and quick way to ease our 'pollution conscience' and doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to fighting climate change. There are a few problems with offsetting that you should understand before you give it a go:
1 - It's
difficult to measure the benefits
Naturally if you are going to offset part or even all of your Green Debt you
are going to want to know exactly how much you have offset each time you buy an
offsetting service. Most companies are all too happy to give you this number (in
kg or tonnes of carbon). Unfortunately the science behind their figures is
likely to be a little vague. There's no agreed standards for calculating the
offset benefit of each type of offset so most of the time a pretty rough
estimate is used. For example, for tree planting offsets a common estimate is 1
tonne of Co2 = 1 tree. Such a round, standardized figure (trees can vary hugely
in size!) is a little suspicious. This aspect of offsetting is likely to improve
as the industry develops and shouldn't discourage you from offsetting.
2 - There's often a time delay in the offset achieved.
For most offsetting projects it takes quite a while for the offsetting
project to generate the benefits quoted when you sign up. This is particularly
obvious with tree offsets - the figures quoted for each tree are the carbon
dioxide that they take out of the atmosphere over their entire life, which could
be 20, 30 years or more. If you've tuned in to the global warming debate
recently you'll appreciate that time is not something we have on our side in the
fight against climate change. More immediate action is needed!
3 - Your money might not actually create any offset at all.
This sounds outrageous - what are they doing with the money that you give
them! It's not quite as bad as it sounds - if you give your money to a reputable
offsetting company you can be confident that they will pass it on to the
designated project. The problem is that the recipients of this money may not
actually use it to increase their carbon reducing activity. Recent studies have
shown that offsetting projects are often projects that are already going ahead
and would have done so regardless of the money from carbon offsetters. For
example your £10 contribution to a tree planting project may well go towards
improving the care and upkeep of the forest rather than buying an additional
tree to plant. This is by no means a bad way to spend your money but it is not
then fair for the offset company to imply that your money has paid for a tree to
be planted specifically to offset 1 tonne of carbon that you have produced - the
tree would have been planted anyway.
In such cases the
offsetting money might be used to improve the quality of the project but there's
a danger, particularly in overseas commercial projects, that this money simply
goes towards 'improving project cash flows' (in non-commercial speak - lining
the pockets of the project owners!). At the current state of play in the offset
industry it is very difficult to be sure that your money is making a genuine,
incremental difference, to the carbon-benefit of the offset project you are
contributing to. Again this should improve as the industry develops, but only if
the government steps up its efforts to improve regulation.....
4 - The offsetting industry is new and not yet regulated.
It's rare that you find an under-regulated industry at the moment, most
suffer from the opposite problem! However, offsetting is still very new and our
government haven't quite got round to setting even the most basic of rules and
regulations that would improve public trust and consistency. Naturally in this
environment consumers are concerned that their money could end up in the hands
of 'offsetting cowboys'.
There is a consultation paper out on the topic so we can hope for some action
soon. In the meantime it's best to stick to the larger offset companies with
established credentials. We've tried to keep our list in the offset section of
this website restricted to such companies.
5 - It
detracts from the only effective long-term solution to climate change - cutting
our own emissions.
Offsetting has some pretty strong critics and they always point to this
reason behind their cynicism - It's a convenient way of softening the
inconvenient truth of climate change - there's a danger that people see
offsetting as a simple 'quick-fix' which allows them ignore the more tricky
challenge of actually getting their emissions down. Some even argue that
offsetting encourages people to produce more carbon as they can do so with a
clean conscience because they can offset it.
If you use offsetting like this you're missing the point! Offsetting does have a role in our fight against climate change - for mopping up the emissions that we simply cannot cut, not avoiding the issue of cutting emissions altogether. As long as it's seen for what it is, offsetting is still a positive step in the right direction. Just be aware that the real benefits are made by individually reducing our carbon emissions and it is not enough to get our debt down to zero using offsetting alone.
How do I know if the offset websites listed on My Green Debt are actually using my money effectively?
Of course this is a natural concern whenever you are offsetting. We've taken care to make sure that the offsetting websites that we list are the most reliable out there. We have visited all of the sites to check their credentials and carried out independent research. A 2006 report by US based organisation Clean Air-Cool Planet assesses the global offset industry and lists its top 8 offset providers. We can be proud that there are 3 UK companies in that 8 (Climate Care, Co2 Balance and the CarbonNeutral Company) and they are all listed in our offset section. These three sites in particular should be a safe bet but please note that we have not independently verified that any of the sites listed are operating effectively. If you are concerned we recommend that you do some research into the offsetting company that you would like to use yourself.
In the future we hope to improve the level of assurance that we can offer you in this respect. We hope that the government will soon offer some form of 'certification' for offsetting companies to prove their authenticity and clearly explain how effective they are at using your cash to reduce carbon emissions. It has recently been announced that there will be a 'Code of Practice' in place for the offsetting industry, expected by the end of 2007. Hopefully more rigorous regulation will follow
Why Should I Fight To Cut My Green Debt whilst others don't? Surely the Government should act for everyone?
It would be perfectly reasonable to think that this is a major global problem where the government should take the lead. Sadly, despite having the power to act, few governments have and there is little sign that this is going to change soon. Modern democracy breeds politicians that are far more concerned about pleasing the masses with short term gains to keep themselves in power than taking unpopular decisions (eg. increasing tax on fuels) to save the planet for voters in 50 years time.
A classic example is the recent attempts to introduce an EU-wide 'carbon emissions trading' scheme. Each government was asked by the EU to give their carbon-intensive industries an initial allocation of 'carbon credits' (effectively a 'pollution allowance'). Beyond this initial allocation the companies involved would have to purchase further credits if they wanted to produce more carbon than their allocation. In theory a good system which uses market forces to control carbon emissions. In reality a complete failure - each government was so concerned about upsetting the industries and damaging competitiveness that they allocated far too many carbon credits free to each company. The result - the company could pollute as much as it wanted and even sell the excess credits to make windfall profits. What was designed as a scheme to save the planet quickly became a chance to line the pockets of the power companies and keep fuel cheap for the voters - a sure fire way to win the next election.....
Put simply, the government should do more, but they probably won't take sufficient action until it's too late. It sounds like the cheesy first line of an American action film, but it really is true to say the future of our planet is in your hands.
I just don't think my individual actions will make a difference - won't they just be a drop in a vast ocean?
It might seem that way but this attitude is a little short sighted.
Our collective action as a human race is nothing but the sum of all our individual actions. We can affect this sum in two ways:
1 - We can change our actions.
2 - We can influence others.
On the surface, 1 probably is a drop in the ocean, but human nature means that 1 usually leads to 2 and this is where our true individual power lies. Consider the history of the free-range egg. Once a rarity only bought by the most ardent animal lovers, now a mainstream lifestyle choice - some supermarkets don't even stock barn eggs any more. The movement towards greener lifestyles will almost certainly follow the same course. By getting on board now you can not only do your bit but you'll be able to say you were one of the first and helped get the movement started. Alternatively you can just cotton on at the end (perhaps when the government forces you to) but you'll have to live with the knowledge that if everyone does this most of Bangladesh will end up under water.
It really is a case of the sooner the better. Now might not even be soon enough. Waiting for your children to take responsibility certainly won't be.
Surely If I don't buy that plane ticket the plane will still fly anyway?
It's comforting to say this to ourselves when we buy a plane ticket and in many ways a perfectly logical conclusion. Put simply it is true - flights are scheduled then tickets sold, unless the airline collapses that flight will go regardless of whether the plane is full or empty. But what if you and ten others didn't buy a ticket and next year you and thirty others... airlines can't afford to continue to operate empty flights, so eventually the plane would not fly.
You probably already appreciated this fact if you were honest with yourself, but it's an uncomfortable conclusion when air travel is something that we're so unwilling to sacrifice. It's associated with holidays and high-status jobs, the good things in life.
Cutting down on air travel is one of the hardest challenges we face. Even some of the so called 'eco-warriors' that pop up in the press on a regular basis can't manage this one. If you can do it you can consider yourself a true pioneer of sustainable living!
Why should I make a sacrifice like cutting down on flying when other people don't bother? They'll benefit from my self-restraint as much as I will!
This is true, they will. But as more and more people make that 'sacrifice' they'll look increasingly naughty and indulgent. By doing your bit you can help people who fly a lot look bad. Don't think this is just a case of petty points scoring. Keeping up with the Jones' really does drive our behaviour as consumers - there is no stronger force. If the Jones' aren't flying because it's likely to send the global climate into catastrophic self-destruction then those desperate to keep up with the Jones' will stop flying too!
Also bear in mind that many of the solutions suggested on My Green Debt are not 'sacrifices'. Often they are the opposite and will improve both your physical and financial wellbeing in the long-run even if the change is a little difficult to get used to initially.
Why Don't I See Much about Biofuels on My Green Debt? I thought they were one of the ideal solutions to this problem?
Many people still do and the biofuels industry is rapidly expanding. With some fairly minor engineering work a car can run off olive oil or similar products with no carbon dioxide pumped out of the exhaust. Sounds ideal but there are two massive problems with biofuels:
- The crops that produce them need to be grown, fertilised, weeded, harvested, transported and processed to make biofuels and all this takes energy, usually supplied by fossil fuels. The equations don't look good at the moment with many biofuels taking more than 1 unit of fossil fuel energy to make 1 unit of biofuel energy. This balance is improving but it's still a long way off making biofuels a really effective solution.
- Crops need space and such is the global demand for power if we are to use biofuels extensively we'd need to devote a lot of land to it. So much that we'd probably have to cut down trees (already happening at a dangerous rate in South America and South East Asia) to make way and forego some food crops. This causes two distinct problems in itself:
1 - Trees store carbon so cutting them down to make fuels really does defeat the purpose of getting carbon levels down. This problem is becoming particularly acute due to the fact palm oil has emerged as the most efficient biofuel crop. Palm oil plantations are springing up all over South East Asia (the best conditions for the trees that produce it). They are replacing some of the most dense, carbon-hungry forests on the planet. Estimations to date suggest that the reduction in carbon-absorption capacity resulting from cutting down trees to make way for biofuels outstrips the benefits in terms of reduced carbon produced by fossil fuels. Put simply, biofuels, at the moment, are increasing the level of carbon in the atmosphere.
2 - Unfortunately the developing world is the cheapest place to produce biofuels so it's their already scarce food crops that are most threatened. Needless to say these are the hungriest people in the world - they can't really afford to grow less food but their voices will be drowned by the developed world's desperate attempts to find a short-cut to beating climate change.
For these reasons we're not convinced that biofuels are the way forward. Until there is decent evidence to the contrary you won't see much about them on My Green Debt.
What are carbon credits?
A carbon credit can probably be most simply described as a permit to generate a specific quantity of carbon. For example if you owned a '1 tonne' carbon credit you would be allowed to produce one tonne of carbon, if you wanted to produce more (or couldn't help producing more!) you'd need to buy more credits. As such a carbon credit would be a tradable commodity, much like stocks and shares, with a fluctuating market price based on supply and demand. In July 2007 an EU 1 tonne credit for carbon produced in 2008 costs about €21 (£13).
Carbon credits are a new concept. There are different types (EU credits, UN credits) and the markets are not yet well established. The plan is for governments to introduce an integrated and well organised carbon credit system soon. Companies will be granted some credits free of charge (or perhaps more than 'some') and will have to buy more if they are bad carbon producers or can sell if they keep carbon emissions down.
This system is designed for the corporate world - incentives for big business to cut their Green Debt, but some websites are now offering the opportunity for individuals to purchase carbon credits. The pretext for this is not just an opportunity to buy something that may go up in value but a chance to buy carbon credits which are then 'retired from the market'. By doing so you reduce the supply of credits and make it more expensive for companies that need more to buy them. This in turn makes it more expensive to produce carbon dioxide and therefore acts as an incentive for companies to cut their emissions.
The link between you retiring a credit and an actual, tangible, reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is pretty tenuous, but this does in effect offer individuals another way to offset their Green Debt.