Climate Compensation

Climate compensation, also known as climate offsetting is a philosophy of compensating emissions, usually this refers to carbon dioxide (CO2). One important concept is that the emission and the actual compensation/offset are made in different contexts, for example in time or locations. It is also important to note that if a company compensates for its emissions by solutions inside the company (or owned by the company), it is usually not considered climate compensation.

Why only carbon dioxide?

Climate compensation is not limited to just carbon dioxide, but also includes other emissions such as methane (which is more than 20 times more potent as a green house gas than CO2). But even with this in mind, CO2 is the biggest emission caused by humans as of today, and this by far.

It is common to translate other emissions to a “carbon dioxide equivalent”, often referred to “CO2e”. The reason for this is to have a common scale and value in which all other emission gases can be referred to.

For example, if methane (CH4) is 20 times more potent as a GHG than CO2, then one kilogram of methane would be considered 20 kilograms of CO2. One unit of methane could then be considered 20 CO2e.

By convering other gases and energies to the CO2e, we can more easily grasp potential differences and make better decisions.

So let’s just plant some trees and we’re done, right?

Well, it’s not as simple as that. Of course we should plant more trees, though!

Trees are a cheap way to sequester carbon dioxide, preserve forests and reduce erosion of the soil. It also produces durable and sustainable biomass. However, there are a few things that will make tree planting problematic in the long run. For example, it takes quite some time for a tree to become fully grown (and thus fixate carbon dioxide). During this time there are threats such as wildfires that would return the carbon dioxide to the atmosphere again.

Do not just take our word for it, please conduct your own research in this matter. You can for example find more information here: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00122-z

Why algae?

There are a few reasons why algae is considered a great way forward in tackling climate change and other sustainability issues, such as water scarcity. The reason for this lays in algae’s rapid growth and sequestration of carbon dioxide through photosyntesis. The biomass accumulated can then be used for various refined products such as nutritional supplements, protein enhancements, bio-fertilizer, algal oil and animal fodder.

Please continue to read about why algae is considered the green gold of today: https://appliedalgae.co/why-algae

What do we offer?

Applied Algae offer businesses and individuals to compensate their emissions through climate compensation. This compensation is made through cultivation of algae strains, binding carbon dioxide and other nutrients in the process.