WHAT ABOUT CARBON OFFSETTING?
Offsetting is a way of compensating for your greenhouse gas emissions. It doesn’t stop or reduce them, but effectively reduces emissions somewhere else on your behalf. To offset your carbon, you purchase ‘carbon credits’ from a supplier and, in return, they use your money for initiatives like building solar infrastructure, planting trees, or supporting hydro-electricity projects. It’s how companies (and bands and DJs!) can claim to be ‘carbon neutral’.
So, can we just “offset” all of our emissions? Not really. Carbon offsetting is only ever a partial solution. There is already far too much carbon in the atmosphere so it’s always best to reduce your emissions first and look at offsetting the rest.
Here’s a good way to approach it:
1. Start by measuring your carbon footprint
- For a deeper analysis of large tours or events: Get in touch with Green Music Australia who can work with you (see Case Study below) or check out Julie’s Bicycle’s Creative Green Tools.
- For your personal home footprint: Carbon Positive Australia.
2. Reduce your emissions as much as possible
Use this guide to start reducing your impacts from waste, transport, food and merch, and put a plan in place to keep improving over time. If you need some support, get in touch: [email protected].
3. Decide your offsetting strategy
The traditional way to offset your emissions is by purchasing carbon credits from a supplier. In return they use your money for initiatives like planting trees or building renewable energy infrastructure.
Green Music Australia’s research shows that ‘good’ Australian offsets start at around $35 per tonne, meaning a return flight from Brisbane to LA would cost $120 to offset. However, offsetting is only ever a partial solution, and a risky one, too. According to a recent Guardian study, many of the world’s most traded offsets are not cutting planet- heating emissions. Even ‘good’ carbon offsetting projects can take years to take effect. In the case of plantations, trees need to grow healthily for up to 20 years to capture the amount of carbon dioxide promised, but new trees are vulnerable to natural disasters and disease, an increasingly common occurrence in a warmer world.
We suggest people consider using the funds they might otherwise spend on offsets to invest in ‘in-house’ or local initiatives that lead directly to a greener music industry and culture. Some ideas include:
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Increase your sustainability budget so you can reduce emissions now and in the future
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Make a donation to Green Music Australia so that we can continue our powerful work greening the music industry
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Financially support local landcare groups to regenerate the country your event is taking place on
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Invest in planning days to foster environmental leadership and create green action
- Where possible, be transparent by publishing your carbon accounting figures and reduction activities. It’s much more robust than simply claiming ‘carbon neutrality’ using offsets, and builds trust with fans and communities.
Offsetting isn’t always a bad idea, but other options like these may be better in the long term for your practice and the planet.
4. Our top four recommendations for traditional offsetting:
When offsetting, we recommend supporting Australian-based projects. This helps avoid issues of climate colonisation, when overseas projects infringe on Indigenous lands.
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The Aboriginal Carbon Foundation focuses on carbon farming projects in local communities with the aim of generating jobs, caring for Country and strengthening Indigenous and non- Indigenous relationships. These projects not only create environmental benefits but social and cultural ones too, connecting organisations seeking to offset their emissions with Aboriginal communities who supply carbon credits.
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Greenfleet is a non-profit that plants native biodiverse forests across Australia to facilitate practical climate action.
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Treecreds is an accredited provider of trusted carbon offset solutions and sustainability services catering to the arts, event and music industries.
- Carbon Neutral were the first Australian provider to be Gold Standard certified and have planted over 22 million trees so far, with a focus on preserving and rehabilitating Australian forests and biodiversity corridors.
Lots of standards have been developed to help people choose between offset suppliers. We suggest looking for suppliers with the Gold Standard, developed by WWF.
Many airlines offer optional carbon offsetting as a ticket add-on, but not all offsets are created equal. Better to do it than not at all, but we encourage you to check what you’re getting and consider offsetting separately if the quality isn’t high.
