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Offset your greenhouse gas emissions by investing the Baviaanskloof restoration project
Our donation page is not publicly accessible because of abuse by spammers. If you are an SCB member, please log in and return to this page to access the donation page and invest in the Baviaanskloof restoration project.
For non-SCB members, we are happy to provide you an access code that will allow you to make a donation online. Please call to make a donation 202-234-4133 x 100, send a donation by post (see address below), or email us to make arrangements for a donation homeoffice@conbio.org. The Society for Conservation Biology is a non-profit organization registered in the US as a 501(c)3 entity. As such, your donations are tax deductible on your US federal tax return (if you file US taxes) in the year that the donation is made. Thank you.
Society for Conservation Biology
1017 O Street NW
Washington, DC 20001-4229 US |
You are welcome to donate to this project simply because it is a good thing to do. But you are probably on this page to offset your personal emissions. If so, please calculate the amount to invest at the rate of US $6 per metric tonne of CO2 equivalent. If you need help determining how many tonnes to buy, please use one of the many on-line calculators.
BEFORE YOU OFFSET
Remember that the climate change mantra is “Reduce, replace, offset.” This means you should first try to reduce your use of energy that emits greenhouse gasses. Second, you should replace energy generated from fossil fuel with energy that does not emit greenhouse gasses. Finally, as a last resort, offset your remaining emissions.
Reduce
If you frequently travel by air, your air travel is probably your biggest source of emissions, and you should reduce it by flying less. In your home, there are many ways to reduce your impact. Probably the most effective is to move to a smaller home that is close enough to your workplace that you will walk, bicycle, or use public transportation. Buying energy-efficient vehicles, lights, and appliances are also good ways to reduce your emissions. Remember
- You make money by reducing your emissions. – these investments pay back their dollar cost within 1-2 years, then bring you profits. Not taking an airplane trip is money in your pocket right now.
- You will have a healthier, happier lifestyle. Living close to work saves valuable commuting time. Using your muscles to commute is free exercise.
- Reducing emissions is 100% effective. There is always a risk that an offset project will fail to work. Not emitting has no such risk.
Replace
Sadly, replacing is not possible for some types of emissions. For example, there are no substitutes for jet fuel today, and none are on the drawing board. Bio-fuels for cars and trucks have horrid costs in terms of destruction of wild ecosystems to grow fuel plants, and drive up the cost of food for everyone.
The easiest type of replacement is to replace electricity derived from burning fossil fuel with electricity from clean sources. Unfortunately, you will pay more per kWh for a solar or wind-powered electrical generating system installed on your property than you currently pay your local utility (but 2009 tax credits reduce this cost differential to near zero in sunny or windy parts of the US). If up-front cash outlays, local building codes, or lack of sun or wind make this infeasible for you and your community, then you must lobby your electric utility and state regulators to force the utility to provide clean electricity.
Offset
Offsets are appropriate for emissions that you cannot avoid. Some offset projects (e.g., creating plantations of non-native species) have direct negative impacts on biodiversity. Other projects, such as restoration of subtropical thicket in the Republic of South Africa, have three benefits: they store carbon, directly benefit biodiversity, and alleviate poverty. At a cost of $6/tonne, this is competitive with other offset investments, but with much higher benefits. |
