FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Carbon offsetting consists of cancelling greenhouse gas emissions by contributing to CO2 sequestration projects or avoiding future emissions. In this way, we can achieve carbon neutrality.

Carbon offsetting or carbon contributions involve a financier (companies, local authorities or individuals) supporting a project to reduce or sequester GHG emissions for which it is not directly responsible.

The carbon footprint is an indicator designed to measure the impact of an activity on the environment, and more specifically the greenhouse gas emissions associated with that activity. It can apply to an individual (according to his or her lifestyle), a company (according to its activities) or a territory.

CO2 affects ecosystems by contributing to the acidification of air, soil and waterways. What's more, this gas indirectly influences the greenhouse effect, as it contributes to the increase in the main greenhouse gases such as CO2 (carbon dioxide), CH4 (methane) and N2O (nitrous oxide).

Global warming, caused by rising greenhouse gas emissions, is likely to increase the number of extreme climatic events, particularly droughts, rising sea levels and acidification, with numerous negative consequences for human health and development.

Through concrete energy transition projects aimed at transforming our energy production and consumption towards renewable and sustainable models, or carbon avoidance or sequestration projects, such as the preservation and restoration of forest sites.

With the signing of the Paris Climate Agreements, countries have committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, and to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. It is the first legally binding agreement in this field. The 194 signatory countries are drawing up national emission reduction plans, and some are initiating mandatory contribution or compensation mechanisms for the main polluters, to help support the environmental and energy transition effort.

At the same time, a voluntary carbon offsetting market has been set up to enable non-obligated companies and individuals to participate in the financing of carbon avoidance or sequestration projects in order to offset their own emissions.

Carbon neutrality is a scientific concept defined by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change): "A situation in which anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere are offset by anthropogenic removals over a given period". It therefore involves a balance between all man-made emissions and negative emissions, i.e. what can be absorbed by man-managed carbon sinks (forests, soils) or by any carbon capture and storage technologies.