How many trees to offset co2
How Many Trees Needed to Offset Your Carbon Emissions?
Many people wonder, how many trees are needed to offset carbon emissions?
On average, each person in the US releases about 16.5 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year, a quantity equivalent to the emissions from about 46 barrels of oil or approximately 22,046 pounds of coal, making the carbon footprint per person in the US one of the highest in the world.7
To put this into perspective, one person would need 725 to 1,000 trees to offset this amount of CO2.
Fortunately, to minimize the adverse effects of these greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, US citizens are taking active steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
Keep reading to learn how…
How Trees Offset Carbon Emissions
Forestry offset programs are one of the tactics adopted by some to offset their emissions. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of the number of trees they need to plant to offset their emissions. The process of computing the number of trees required to offset the emissions from each person is fairly complex, and online carbon footprint calculators from reputable sources offer the best bet for obtaining accurate estimates.
Nevertheless, given a single tree offsets about 20 kg (44 pounds) of carbon dioxide each year, individuals in the US emitting 17 tons of emissions will need to plant about 725 to 1,000 trees each year, to successfully offset their carbon footprint.14
This figure varies based on a host of contextual factors, including the region where the trees are planted and the exact ecosystems of the location. Trees planted in the tropical and subtropical regions tend to sequester more carbon dioxide than those planted in other regions.
In contrast, trees planted in marshlands and wetlands offer the highest sequestration volumes of all other ecosystems.
Trees play a vital role in offsetting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but what exactly do they do?
The Carbon Cycle
To understand the importance of trees, one has to begin by looking at the carbon cycle.
The term “carbon cycle” refers to the process through which carbon atoms move from the earth’s surface to the atmosphere, and vice versa.13 Within the cycle, oceans, sediments, rocks, and living organisms on the earth’s surface are the main carbon storages.
The carbon stored in oceans is released into the atmosphere through a continuous exchange process between the ocean waters and the earth’s atmosphere.9 Soil-based carbon is released in a different process, when organisms die or in instances when sediments and rocks are degraded.
Role of Trees in the Carbon Cycle
Degraded or deforested lands release significant volumes of carbon in the atmosphere and are driven mainly by human activities, such as poor agricultural practices and human-induced soil erosion.
Trees remove carbon emissions by storing them for a long, long time, effectively removing them from the atmosphere.
You can calculate how many trees you’d need to need to offset you emissions using this tree calculator.
Simply increase the number of trees (or the age and circumference of the tree) to see it’s equivalent in carbon emissions.
Other human carbon sources that release GHG emissions into the atmosphere include:
- coal mines
- gasoline vehicles
- carbon-based industrial activities
The role of trees in the carbon cycle is to remove carbon from the atmosphere by restoring it into the soil- a process called carbon sequestration.13 The trees do this through photosynthesis, where they extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to make their food. Carbon sequestered in this manner is stored as biomass in the trees, or biowaste in the soil.
Statistics on The Role of Trees in Carbon Sequestration
The following statistics illustrate the importance of trees in offsetting carbon emissions:1
- As of 2018, old forested lands in the US sequestered about 644 million tons of equivalent carbon dioxide emissions, while new lands converted into forests created carbon sinks that eliminated 111 tons of equivalent carbon dioxide emissions
- On average, 100 acres of forested lands removes 115 tons of carbon dioxide each year.
- Between 2018 and 1990, the US experienced a forest cover reduction of 2.7 million acres.
The above statistics imply that old and new forested lands combined remove carbon emissions similar to those released by about 190 coal-fired plants.3
The potential for emission offsetting with trees is also relatively high, considering an additional 100 acres of forest can remove 115 tons of carbon dioxide per year.1 Unfortunately, the US may be unable to sustain these gains considering that the nation’s forested land is declining, as indicated by a 2.7 million reduction in forested acreage between 2018 and 1990.
Given that these trends are likely also happening in other parts of the world, climate change practitioners need to initiate quick actions to increase forest cover both locally and abroad.
One way to do this is by engaging in large-scale and small-scale tree planting projects in areas that promise the highest impact—some of the areas include tropical, sub-tropical regions, and wetlands.
Number of Trees to Offset Emissions in Tropical and Subtropical Regions
While, on average, trees across the globe offset about 44 pounds of carbon dioxide each year, the figure is slightly higher for tropical trees for two main reasons.14
Why Tropical and Subtropical Trees Sequester More Carbon Dioxide
First, trees within the tropics grow faster than other regions of the globe, implying a faster pace of sequestering carbon back into the soil.
Secondly, the tree cover existing in tropical forests absorbs solar radiation more effectively, fast-tracking photosynthesis and subsequently carbon sequestration.12
These unique attributes of tropical forests make them highly suitable for conducting large-scale reforestation efforts to combat climate change. To offset a specified volume of emissions, one is likely to plant fewer trees in the tropics compared to other regions of the world.
Unique Attributes of Tropical and Subtropical Lands
The tropical and subtropical regions are sections of the earth between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn latitudes.
Given the position of these latitudes, tropical regions are located at roughly the middle sections of the earth, accounting for 36 percent of the earth’s landmass, and hosting a third of the global population.8
Temperatures within the tropics range between 77 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit (25 and 28 degrees Celsius), largely due to the all-year-round sun exposure experienced in the region. Rainfall in regions experiences a much wider variation, with some areas receiving as much as 4,000 mm per year, while others receive as little as 500 mm.12 Due to the huge climatic and ecosystem similarities in the tropics, the regions have similar animal and trees species.
Statistics on the Role of Tropical Lands in Carbon Sequestration
The value of the tropics in carbon offsetting is clear, especially when one takes a global outlook perspective.
Based on current information from the Global Forest Watch Climate, if current trends of loss in tree cover within the tropics continues, it will be impossible to keep global warming to within a 2-point degree, as envisioned by the prevailing climate change agreements.
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The following three vital statistics support this fact:5
- Yearly carbon dioxide emissions from tree cover losses within the tropics were about 4.8 gigatons between 2015 and 2017.
- The figure is 63 percent higher than the previous 14 years combined
- Tropical trees can offset about 23 percent of total global emissions
From the numbers, it’s clear that tropical tree covers are reducing, with devastating effects to the planet. For perspective, the 4.8 gigatons of emissions released from the reduction in tropical tree cover are equivalent to emissions from 85 million gasoline cars over their entire life cycle.3
More importantly, reforesting tropical trees is likely to contribute immensely to reducing CO2 emission globally, considering that tropical trees can reduce about a fifth of global emissions.
Important to note, however, is that the ability of tropical trees to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is not infinite.
Researchers note that if global warming increases to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial limits, tropical trees will lose more carbon than they can accumulate.
Sadly, some of the hottest forests in South America have reached this tipping point, where they emit more carbon than they store. This trend calls for quick action to reverse the devastation by planting more trees in tropical regions such as the Amazon rainforest.
The Number of Trees to Offset Emissions in Wetlands
Trees grown in wetlands tend to sequester more carbon dioxide than those planted in other regions of the globe. Granted that, on average, trees sequester about 44 pounds of carbon dioxide, the figure for wetlands is likely higher than this for two main reasons.
Why Wetlands Sequester More Carbon Dioxide
First, wetlands in general are oxygen-starved, as most of the soils are submerged. Thus, the decomposition rate in the regions is much slower than in other parts of the globe, leading to a higher accumulation of organic matter.
Secondly, many wetlands reduce erosion by trapping soils, so more carbon is stored within the soil sediments. These factors lead to higher sequestration volumes, implying for a specified volume of emissions, one is likely to plant fewer trees in wetlands compared to other regions.
Unique Attributes of Wetlands
Wetlands refer to areas where the soil is submerged in water either throughout the year or during specific seasons.
Most wetlands on earth are found within the tropics, with every continent except Antarctica having some form of wetlands. Generally, wetlands are classified into coastal and inland wetlands.4
The former comprises wetlands within coastal regions. They are mostly found at estuaries, where seawater meets the land. On the other hand, inland wetlands are located away from coastal areas along rivers, in isolated depressions or, in some cases, in low-lying areas where groundwater flows to the surface.
Statistics on the Role of Wetlands in Carbon Sequestration
Trees in wetlands sequester carbon dioxide into the soil in two main ways, namely photosynthesis and sediment trapping.
Through photosynthesis, the trees convert carbon dioxide into biomass and biowaste, sequestering carbon back into the earth in the process. The biomass is stored as food or biomaterial within the trees, while biowaste is released into the ground as litter, organic matter, or peats.
The following statistics indicate the importance of wetlands in carbon sequestration:
- Wetlands in the US store about 15 billion tons of carbon dioxide yearly.2
- A 0.09 to 0.88 meter rise in sea level due to global warming will likely reduce the area of coastal wetlands.6
- A temperature rise of 2-9 degrees Fahrenheit is likely to adversely affect flora and fauna of most wetlands.6
Notably, wetlands play a crucial role in carbon offsetting.
The 15 billion carbon sink provided by wetlands sequesters about 55 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, a figure equivalent to the emissions from about 23 tons of burned coal.3
Unfortunately, as the effects of global warming take root, the carbon sinks provided by wetlands are likely to reduce.
Specifically, increased sea levels and global warming will likely have devastating effects on wetlands. This point is important to note- just like tropical trees, the sequestration potential of wetlands is not infinite.
While wetlands are some of the largest carbon stores globally, their disruption is likely to increase the volume of emissions they generate, to a point where they are more than carbon dioxide sequestered back into the soil.
This point is particularly true, considering wetlands are also the most significant global sources of methane, another harmful greenhouse gas, with 100 times more potency than carbon dioxide.10 According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, methane emissions are highest in inundated wetlands, necessitating actions to protect such wetlands, so that the methane is not released into the atmosphere.2
Some of the effective interventions include:
- stopping the draining of wetlands
- controlling wetland fires
- restoring or reforesting the locations
Using Trees to Offset Your Carbon Emissions
US Citizens are among the largest global emitters of greenhouse gases, with each individual in the nation releasing about 22,046 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere.
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To offset this massive volume of emissions, each person in the country would need to plant about 725 to 1,000 trees every year. Individuals keen on offsetting their emissions should consider reforestation in areas with the highest impact for best results.
Tropical and subtropical regions are one such area that has immense potential to offset emissions compared to other parts of the globe. The trees in this region grow faster than other places, and, in the process, they release more biomass into the soil, sequestering higher volumes of carbon dioxide.
Planting trees in these regions is likely to deliver excellent results, considering that tropical and subtropical regions have the potential of offsetting 23 percent of global emissions.5
This potential is not infinite, though, considering trees can emit more than they offset at high global temperatures. Some trees in the South American tropics have reached this tipping point, thanks to the steady rise in global warming over the years.
11 So, it’s wise to act fast, before climate change takes away one of the best options for mitigating it.
Wetlands are another area with immense offsetting potential, due to the slow decomposition in the region, leading to higher organic matter accumulation and the carbon trapping ability of the wetland soil. Planting trees to rehabilitate wetlands is necessary, considering that they will emit more than they offset without such efforts.
If disturbed, these regions are likely to release more methane into the atmosphere than the carbon dioxide they extract from the environment.
All in all, reforestation initiatives in tropical regions and wetlands are exceedingly important in attempts to combat climate change, especially considering these regions sequester more carbon dioxide than other parts of the globe.
To see exactly how many trees are needed to offset their carbon emissions, they can simply calculate their carbon footprint, which includes factors such as their location, transportation, home energy use, food waste emissions, and more.
The more trees planted throughout the world, the more benefit the world receives.
Trees Needed to Offset Your CO2 Emissions
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Each year, the average U.S. consumer adds 16 tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. With a donation to Saving Nature, you can offset these emissions by restoring the world's greatest forests for biodiversity.
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Restoring tropical forests is the best way to offset your carbon dioxide emissions while rebuilding habitats for endangered species. Our forests soak up about 20 tons of CO2 per hectare per year and do so for 20+ years.
Our portfolio of projects targets three issues facing our planet – climate change, mass species extinctions, and environmental degradation. As a result, supporting our work has a triple bottom line, helping to rebuild a planet pushed to extremes.
Surprisingly, it only takes $90 year to create a wildlife corridor that will absorb the average U.S. consumer’s CO2 emissions for an entire year.
Take the first step to erase your carbon footprint. Experts agree, we can’t solve climate change without trees.
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We all produce carbon dioxide (CO2), directly or indirectly, when we use products produced using fossil fuels. For example, we directly produce carbon dioxide when we drive a car or take a flight. We also indirectly produce carbon dioxide when we eat food that has been produced with artificial fertilizers and pesticides (which are made from oil). In total, the amount of carbon dioxide you produce is your “carbon footprint.”
How do you compare to the average U.S. consumer’s 16 tons of carbon dioxide? Our carbon footprint calculator helps you estimate your carbon emissions and the number of trees you need to offset your carbon footprint. While it seems like a lot of work to figure out your carbon footprint, it is actually easier than you think.
In only a few minutes using our carbon footprint calculator, you can estimate your carbon emissions and how many trees it take to offset them.
DATA SOURCES:
- https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/
- http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/food-carbon-footprint-diet
- https://ourworldindata.org/food-per-person
- https://www.carbonindependent.org/22.html
- Offset calculations are based on 4,200 trees per acre, which sequester an estimated 20 tons CO2 per year for 30 years. In practice, land and tree planting costs vary from project to project, but average $4.50 per ton.
- Hybrid vehicle emissions estimated at 198 gms/mile, battery vehicle emissions estimated at 110 gms per mile to account for power generation related to electricity used. https://evtool.ucsusa.org/
How much CO2 do trees absorb? Oil companies like BP and Shell are betting on rising carbon prices as a source of income in the future as their fossil fuel profits rise.
fuel drops, pays attention Reuters . Last year, BP invested $5 million in Finite Carbon, which connects forest owners with companies seeking to offset climate-warming emissions by planting trees. The California-based firm, according to its chief executive Sean Carney, expects to bring landowners $1 billion over the next 10 years. What's more, Carney said that as companies and countries rushed to make new pledges last year to combat global warming, this forecast may even be too conservative.
Ambitions vs ammunition
Major revenue ambitions outweigh current investment, Reuters notes.
Note: offset market is a compensation market, offset is closing a position opened for buying or selling an instrument by creating an equivalent position in the opposite direction. Climate change targets agreed in Paris in 2016 encourage companies to move into the carbon offset market.
Although the market is not yet mature, it is growing rapidly as companies and countries strive to voluntarily (or not so) meet the requirements of sustainable development.
European oil companies say investing in projects to boost carbon credits is just good business, offering new revenue streams at a time when oil prices have collapsed and enthusiasm for discovery is waning.
“Investing in carbon removal at a time when the world is tightening carbon caps will prove commercially and business-friendly over time,” Duncan van Bergen, head of Shell Nature Based Solutions, told Reuters.
While certain industries are covered by statutory carbon trading schemes in the European Union, California and Australia, there are no such government-backed markets in much of the world. So far, most issuers have only a few voluntary carbon offset markets launched over the past 15 years.
As the number of applications for carbon credits increases, their price is expected to rise.
Shell's budgets, for example, are based on a carbon price of $85, or about 70 euros per ton by 2050, more than double the current EU price of just under 30 euros.
While each voluntary market has its own entry rules, they typically work by certifying credits for carbon reduction projects that conserve forests and wetlands, or help replace wood or coal-fired stoves with stoves that use cleaner fuels .
Air traders
According to the Ecosystem Marketplace, the main aggregator of this data, last year the entire voluntary carbon offset market was worth about $300 million, and offset payments amounted to about 104 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
However, this is small compared to the 33 billion tonnes of CO2e emitted in 2019 by the energy sector alone, of which 2.1 billion tonnes were produced by large European energy companies (IEA and Reuters calculations).
A November report by a task force of investors and issuers led by former Bank of England governor Mark Carney says the voluntary market needs to grow 15 times to meet the goal of averting catastrophic climate change.
Major oil companies are playing a growing role in this as they strive to establish themselves in a carbon-neutral new world order.
France's Total allocates $100 million a year to natural solutions, including an unspecified amount to build a loan portfolio. Shell plans to spend the same amount over the next year or two to offset carbon emissions from nature projects, and van Bergen expects the reduction in emissions from nature projects or carbon sequestration to be "substantial" by 2030 or 2035.
In August, van Bergen bought Select Carbon, which helps farmers in Australia repurpose their land and certifies green loans through a state-run scheme or sale on the secondary market.
BP's investment in Finite Carbon was for software that allows landowners to monetize planting new trees or conserving existing forest areas. This software, which uses machine learning, remote sensing and digital payments, is aimed at landowners with land plots as small as 40 acres, too small to participate in many carbon markets.
According to the British bank Barclays, such natural offsets can reduce emissions by 12 billion tons per year at a cost to issuers from $120 billion to $360 billion. However, Reuters writes, a global standard for assessing the impact of projects on carbon emissions and a unified approach to credit pricing is needed.
Leonid Fedun, co-owner of Lukoil, said in an interview with Kommersant about the prospects for trade in "CO2-free air". “There are ways to actually reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. First of all, we are talking about the natural absorption of this gas by forests and other natural ecosystems, as well as industrial systems for its capture and subsequent disposal, the so-called CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage),” he said and cited the following figures: hectare pine forest absorbs about 1-1.5 tons of CO2 per year, poplar - 5-7 tons, and a tree like paulownia - in general 30 tons. Fedun proposed to conduct a real assessment of the ability of forests and lands in the country to absorb carbon dioxide, to declare to our partners on the world stage that Russia can produce not only hydrocarbons, but actually a system for cleaning the Earth's atmosphere from CO2.
According to the calculations, which, according to Fedun, were carried out in the early 2000s, the absorption capacity of Russian forests is about 0.5 billion tons of CO2 per year. Although this assessment today raises great doubts, Fedun said, since the absorbing capacity of the forests of European states located in the same climatic zone is four times higher.
Dark forest
Obviously, for the final formation of the carbon credits market, it remains to approve at the international level the figures for the absorption of CO2 by different types of vegetation. But in this place, the market can watch for problems that turn the task into an unsolvable one.
Already from the words of Leonid Fedun, the question arises: how do European forests absorb four times more CO2 than Russian ones? Who measured and how? Let's take a look at the official numbers.
In Canada, the results of a fundamental study of CO2 emissions from Canadian forests for 1990-2017 were published.
Whereas before 2002 Canadian forest emissions of CO2-equivalent were both positive and negative, since 2002 forests have consistently emitted more CO2 than they absorb. In 2017, net emissions amounted to about 237 MtCO2e.
Canadian researchers explain this phenomenon by the action of many multidirectional processes: human activities in logging and forest clearing, forest fires, windfalls, the vital activity of forest biota (wood and forest litter decompose faster in bug-infested forests). The conclusion is: "Natural disturbances, largely beyond human control, are significantly impacting the ability of Canada's managed forests to consistently absorb more CO2 than they emit."
Canada's managed and unmanaged forestsRussia's forests are hardly fundamentally different from Canadian forests, and in the same way can emit more CO2 than they absorb.
Attempts to calculate the absorption of CO2 by forests and the plant world in general are doomed to failure.
It is not possible to calculate CO2 uptake by a single tree (a tree is anything taller than 5 meters) or a shrub. Two hundred assembled bureaucrats, of course, can directively assign CO2 absorption figures for all types of trees and shrubs on the planet, depending on growing conditions, average air temperature and soil composition ... or still beware in order to avoid accusations of idiocy? (By the way, there are more than three trillion trees on earth.)
Canadians in their paper, for example, overlooked the anecdote: “The increased use of long-lived wood products to store carbon in the building environment and the use of wood products instead of high-emission materials such as concrete, steel and fossil fuels offer opportunities for mitigation consequences of climate change”. The proposal to replace concrete and steel with wood to fight global warming is fantastic from every point of view!
Russian oilmen should not hope to receive carbon certificates for Siberian forests.
Everything will end with a direct tax on carbon emissions from production processes. More precisely, the first stage will end. At the second stage, producers of steel, concrete and oil will require the calculation and accounting of emissions for each production process used in the construction and operation of renewable energy sources, and there are tens of thousands of them. In wild dreams, one can imagine a tax on each person for exhaling CO2.
Let's supplement the above with such data. The albedo (sunlight reflection coefficient) of a deciduous forest is noticeably lower than that of the steppe, tundra, and meadows. In coniferous forests, this difference is already tens of percent. There are estimates according to which the albedo of forests in Alaska may be 7.1%, and the tundra - 19.9%. It is easy to see from space: where trees grow, the planet is much darker than in the areas of steppes, savannahs, and especially deserts.
If the reflectivity of the landscape is reduced by one percent, then it receives about 40 kWh more energy from the sun per year.
Planting 20 million trees (TeamTrees initiative) will increase the absorption of solar radiation by the earth's surface by 40 trillion kilowatt-hours. This is twice the total electricity consumed by mankind in a year.
By the way, back in 2010, it was calculated that overgrowing the Arctic tundra with trees would saturate the air with water vapor (emitted by plants). As a result, "this greenhouse effect due to additional water vapor will melt the sea ice." After that, the surface of the Arctic will become even better at absorbing solar energy, further spurring warming.
Thus, the best way to combat global warming is to cut down forests. According to one hypothesis, glaciations on earth were associated precisely with the reduction of forests, which led to a decrease in the entry into the atmosphere of the main greenhouse gas - water vapor.
In conclusion, to complete the picture, it should be added: plants do not absorb carbon dioxide from the air with the help of leaves! From the book Rubin E.
L. Plant Physiology, Part 1, M, 1954, p. 236 (source): A liter of air contains about 0.6 mg of CO2. Since 0.682 g of glucose is formed from 1 liter of assimilated CO2, the amount of CO2 contained in 2500 liters of air must be spent to form 1 g of glucose. To form a kilogram of sugar, a plant needs to “process” about 2.5 million liters of air (2500 cubic meters), completely freeing the latter from the carbon dioxide it contains.
Since there can be no 100% absorption of CO2, the plants must pass much more air through themselves. The wind should be walking in the greenhouse, and a real hurricane in the forest. What we don't see.
In the hypothesis that the carbon necessary for the formation of plant tissues is absorbed by plant leaves from carbon dioxide in the air, and in the same leaves it turns into glucose, the main thing is missing: how carbon is delivered to the roots, to tubers, when the flow of water inside the plant and mineral substances move with it from the roots to the leaves? There is no mechanism for the transfer of carbon compounds from leaves to roots.
In fact, carbon compounds are absorbed by the roots directly from the soil, where it is formed due to the decomposition of soil organic matter, and some of them are then transferred to the leaves. Scientists believe that the absorption of CO2 from the air is a reserve, “fire” mechanism that turns on in extreme conditions (see more).
Biologists can calculate the amount of organic matter produced in an ecosystem. But it is impossible to calculate what part of this organic matter was formed from CO2 present in the air in an amount of 0.04%. It is, of course, possible to invest in quota trading exchanges by planting trees, but one must understand that this is a short-term speculation that does not have a sustainable future.
Prepared by
Institute for the Development of Technologies in the Fuel and Energy Complex (IRTTEK)
Why do we support reforestation projects and how can you help?
Why do we support reforestation projects and how can you help? - KLM Ukraine Reforestation won't make our flights greener, but it is a way to help restore the balance between carbon emissions and sequestration: forests can absorb billions of tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) a year.
While we work to reduce our CO₂ emissions in several ways, reforestation is helping to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. KLM supports three different reforestation projects.
Forests have been destroyed by human activities or natural disasters. Growing trees and restoring ecosystems helps restore the balance between emissions and absorption of CO₂. Although it sounds simple, reforestation is not just about planting trees. This requires in-depth knowledge of local tree species and climate. In addition, trees require protection and a long time to grow. That is why we have chosen three different certified projects.
Why are forests so important?
Forests are the lungs of our planet. Trees and plants purify the air by absorbing carbon dioxide into oxygen. But due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, the level of carbon dioxide in the air is higher than nature can process. In the aviation sector, we also use fossil fuels: kerosene.
When kerosene is burned, carbon dioxide is produced.
What is CO₂?
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a gas that is also formed in nature; it is food for trees and plants. However, when there is too much CO₂ in the atmosphere, heat is trapped near the Earth. This leads to global warming.
Since 2017, we have been supporting a reforestation project in Panama. In 2022, we added two more projects to this, in Uganda and Colombia. Since reforestation is about more than just planting trees, all of the projects we selected:
- are Gold Standard certified;
- are FCS certified;
- support the creation of jobs for the local population, the development of local communities, etc.;
- contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
About the Gold Standard
The Gold Standard was developed in 2003 by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and other international non-governmental organizations as a best practice standard for ensuring that carbon-reducing projects have the highest level of environmental integrity and contribute to sustainable development.
All the projects we have selected have passed the Gold Standard certification.
Find out more at www.goldstandard.org
About FSC
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council®) is an international, independent quality label and the world's best-known label for the responsible management of the world's forests. To obtain a forest certificate, FSC has developed a standard based on the 10 FSC principles. Based on these principles, 70 universal criteria have been developed.
All selected projects are FSC certified.
Learn more at fsc.org
Carbon Credits
A carbon credit is a certificate issued for one tonne of carbon equivalent that is captured, reduced or saved as part of a verified project. With the purchase of a carbon credit, we support a reforestation project and offset one tonne of our CO₂ emissions.
As a passenger, you can support our carbon offset by adding reforestation to your booking. The value of your contribution is based on the estimated CO₂ emissions per person during your flight.
With this contribution, we do not buy trees, but carbon credits.
Your carbon footprint
When you book a flight with KLM, we offer you the option to offset part of your flight's estimated CO₂ emissions. How? By contributing to our chosen reforestation projects. The value of your contribution is calculated based on several factors that affect your flight's CO₂ emissions, such as aircraft type, flight distance and historical load factor.
Reforestation prices for flights departing from Amsterdam
About calculating your carbon footprint
Annually, KPMG's French subsidiary audits KLM to verify that KLM's calculation methods comply with international CO₂ emission guidelines.
Our latest methods and audit report:
- Calculation Methods
- KPMG 2022 Audit Report
When you book your flight, you can view your expected CO₂ emissions from your flight in My Trip.
Your contribution
When booking a flight, you can add CO₂ compensation to your booking on the same page where you select your seat or add luggage.
You can also do this later in the "My Journey" section.
Want to do more?
Although air travel is not yet a sustainable form of travel, there are things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. Small steps are enough for this, such as traveling light or having your own water bottle or headphones. Or you can make a bigger investment: purchase sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Your contribution to the acquisition of SAF is helping to reduce air travel's dependence on traditional fossil fuels. From 2022, we have started to purchase 0.5% sustainable aviation fuel for all flights departing from Amsterdam. This is just the beginning, but with your help we can do more.
Learn more about SAF
Frequently Asked Questions
Because we support projects in areas historically affected by rapid deforestation and where reforestation efforts not only help restore the ecosystem, but also protect and improve biodiversity, and also offer employment opportunities for agricultural communities.
