Can You Actually Buy Carbon Credits?

Carbon credits (also called carbon offsets) allow individuals to compensate for their carbon footprint by funding projects that reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions — reforestation, renewable energy, methane capture, and direct air capture. The voluntary carbon market reached $2 billion in 2023, and individual participation is growing rapidly.

But the market has problems: greenwashing, dubious offset quality, lack of transparency, and projects that don't deliver the claimed reductions. This site helps you navigate the landscape — understand what you're buying, evaluate providers, and make purchases that actually matter.

What is a carbon credit?

A carbon credit is defined as a tradeable certificate representing the reduction, avoidance, or removal of one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) from the atmosphere. Carbon credits are generated by projects — reforestation, renewable energy installations, methane capture, direct air capture — that are independently verified by third-party standards such as Gold Standard, Verra (VCS), or American Carbon Registry. When a credit is 'retired,' it is permanently claimed and removed from circulation, ensuring the emission reduction cannot be double-counted.

What is the voluntary carbon market?

The voluntary carbon market refers to the system through which individuals and organizations voluntarily purchase carbon credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, as distinct from compliance carbon markets (like the EU Emissions Trading System) where large emitters are legally required to hold allowances. The voluntary market is self-regulated, relying on independent verification standards rather than government mandates. This voluntary nature is both its strength — anyone can participate — and its weakness, as enforcement and quality control depend entirely on the integrity of verification bodies.

What is additionality?

Additionality is the principle that a carbon offset project must demonstrate that the emission reduction would not have occurred without the revenue from carbon credit sales. It is considered the single most important criterion for offset quality. A project that was going to happen anyway — for example, a wind farm in a country with strong renewable energy mandates — fails the additionality test because the credits represent reductions that would have occurred regardless of offset funding. Proving additionality is inherently challenging because it requires establishing a counterfactual: what would have happened in the absence of the project.