In the fight against climate change, we often hear terms like “carbon offset” and “carbon credit”. While they are often used interchangeably, these two phrases actually have different meanings. Carbon offsetting is something you do, while a carbon credit is what you use do it. Understanding the difference between them is important for businesses and individuals looking to address their environmental impact. Carbon Credits: Creating a Global Market for Carbon Emission Reduction The concept of a carbon credit originated decades ago as mechanism to fund the reduction of carbon emissions. One carb ..read more

New Rules: How to Implement and Communicate Climate Strategy for Companies 2023 was a big year for climate action.  We saw major announcements of new global governance and regulations across the world:     In the US, California passed SB-253 Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and AB-1305 Voluntary carbon market disclosures.    In Europe, the European Commission released its Proposal for a Directive on Green Claims.    Globally, new rules for the quality and use of carbon credits were issued ICVCM (The Integrity Council for the Voluntary ..read more

The Power of Choice: Why It Matters In a world as diverse as ours, where everyone carries a unique set of values, priorities, and passions, choice becomes a beacon of empowerment. When it comes to sustainability, this notion holds a profound significance. At Terrapass, we recognize that the path to a greener future is not a one-size-fits-all journey. Instead, it’s a tapestry woven with the varied threads of personal convictions and aspirations. Embracing Diversity in Sustainability Sustainability is not a monolithic concept; it’s a kaleidoscope of values and concerns. Some of us are impassion ..read more

For decades, new government policies and activism have helped us make big strides in environmental protection. However, the world continues to see higher temperatures, leading to severe weather events, flooding, drought, wildfires, and more. But what environmental challenges should we focus on moving forward to ensure we’re heading in the right direction to slow, stop, or even reverse climate change?  Below, we review the biggest environmental problems of 2024 and beyond to help you understand what areas we must focus on to reach our climate goals.  What Will Be the Biggest Environme ..read more

What Does the New VCMI Code Mean for Carbon Credit Usage? The carbon credit/carbon offset market has been a topic of both celebration and contention. Purchasing carbon credits can fund climate benefit projects like reforestation that ultimately help the world mitigate climate change. Yet the lack of global regulatory clarity has coincided with confusion, risk, and sometimes even deception within the voluntary carbon market. However, new rules and universal best practices are emerging in ways that will: Improve quality within voluntary carbon markets Increase businesses’ confidence in funding ..read more

The European Green Deal is a pact that looks to improve the well-being and health of citizens and future generations by providing a range of basic necessities, such as fresh air, clean water, healthy soil, healthy and affordable food, cleaner energy, future-proof jobs, and much more.   It bases much of this on the European Union (EU) becoming greener. Recently, the European Commission released a series of new rules focused on corporate responsibility that aims to strengthen the path toward its carbon-neutral goal.  How will these changes affect life in the EU? We review the upco ..read more

Climate change is affecting the world, with a 2017 study find that a whopping 71% of all global emissions since 1988 came from just 100 companies worldwide. Corporations are responsible for the lion’s share of the global carbon emissions. Fortunately, government regulations, such as emissions allowances and carbon credits, help corporations mitigate their emissions. They can also expand their carbon allowance through a non-government-regulated voluntary carbon credit market.  So what exactly are these carbon credits, carbon allowances, and emission allowances, and how can they help your o ..read more

While some climate change is normal, human actions have dramatically accelerated it. And this has led to increased severe weather events, rising sea levels, and global warming. With the Paris Agreement in place and many countries onboard with reducing their emissions, we have a clear pathway to slowing and even reversing climate change. Unfortunately, the world is still off-track for meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement, so we all need to do more.  To try to help get the U.S. on track and potentially spur the same action worldwide, the government has announced major funding to kick-st ..read more

Every handful of years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases a new report outlining the state of our world. It looks at air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and overall climate change and global warming. It uses this report to make recommendations to policymakers that’ll help us slow and eventually reverse global warming and climate change.  In 2023, the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report hit the press release cycle and outlined all the good and bad happening with the environment since the last report. So, what did the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report say? Continue read ..read more

After years of companies increasingly prioritizing and promoting sustainability efforts, the tide seems to be turning. Some media, consumers, investors, and other stakeholders are quick to try to poke holes in companies’ sustainability strategies. “Promoting ESG policies was once an easy layup to score good press — and theoretically move toward bettering society — but now it’s a way to court controversy, the ire of politicians, and attention from well-funded anti-ESG groups. Now, however, many businesses are afraid to say anything about their sustainability work. During earnings calls from Apr ..read more