Six Facts about atmosfair: CO₂ Offsetting, Climate Protection Projects, and Transparency

Those with an interest in sustainability will inevitably encounter the issue of CO₂ emissions and offsetting. Climate-neutral and climate-positive are the buzzwords that consumers are currently encountering from all quarters. Whether at drugstores or when booking a flight, everywhere you go, the goal is to offset CO₂ emissions and be "climate neutral". 

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atmosfair, a leading carbon offset provider and the winner of numerous tests and studies, does not use these terms and views them with skepticism. This is due to the nonprofit organization's science-based approach and underlying philosophy. atmosfair asserts that marketing surrounding "climate neutrality" is frequently deceptive and does not ensure that a company is genuinely dedicated to climate protection. It is more meaningful — and safer — to set realistic, ambitious reduction targets and measures, as well as to assess the quality of the climate protection activities financed. It is also important to determine when offsetting is the most appropriate course of action and how atmosfair utilizes the offsetting amounts and donations effectively and transparently.

1. What is atmosfair?

atmosfair GmbH, a Berlin-based company, is primarily known to travelers as a provider of carbon offsets. At its core, however, it is a nonprofit climate protection organization that utilizes carbon offsetting to advance climate protection initiatives, with a particular emphasis on renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies in the Global South. It was established in 2004 as a result of a research project conducted by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, the tour operator association forum anders reisen (travel differently), and the environmental and development organization Germanwatch. 

Primarily focused on air travel, especially in the private sector, but also in the business sector, atmosfair offers the opportunity to offset unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the organization provides guidance and support to companies in their transition to climate-friendly business practices.

2. What does atmosfair do?

As previously indicated, atmosfair's three primary areas of focus are:

• Offsetting unavoidable greenhouse gases, particularly in air travel on routes where there is currently no climate-friendly alternative
• Climate protection projects following the CDM Gold Standard and Gold Standard Microscale advancing renewable energies, energy efficiency technologies, and sustainable development
• Assisting companies in their transition toward a decarbonized economy

The overarching principles are transparency and the meaningfulness of the individual measures. For instance, atmosfair consistently asserts that offsetting is only truly impactful when all feasible measures to reduce emissions have been taken beforehand.

Moreover, approximately 95% of the funds received by the organization are allocated to the implementation of its projects. Only 5% of the budget is allocated to company costs, such as administration, IT, and public relations. Additionally, atmosfair has been awarded the DZI donation seal after an independent audit by the German Central Institute for Social Issues in Berlin. It is given to charitable organizations that distinguish themselves through transparency, effectiveness, and fairness, among other things. Stiftung Warentest (Stiftung Warentest is a foundation helping consumers by providing impartial and objective information) also awarded atmosfair the rating "very good" and placed it in first place in a comparison of various carbon offset providers (2022). Notably, the selection of climate protection projects exclusively according to the gold standard was particularly highlighted.

3. When does it make sense to offset carbon emissions?

Avoid, reduce, and only then offset. This principle takes precedence over all others. The type of emission must also be considered. atmosfair differentiates between three main types:

• The climate-unfriendly, such as daily meat consumption.
• the phase-out models for which climate-friendly alternatives already exist,
• and the transformable, which are currently not climate-friendly but have the potential for a low-emission or zero-emission technical solution.

The former should be reduced as much as possible and, at best, avoided altogether. The solution for the second type is to make climate-friendly alternatives more attractive and better known. It is only in the case of the third type of emissions, the transformable ones, that it makes sense to offset the resulting greenhouse gases until technical innovations and solutions are available.

4. Why is the focus on (long-haul or intercontinental) air travel?

There is significant potential for reducing emissions in the travel sector, particularly when it comes to the journey. By simply choosing a closer destination that avoids a flight or selecting a more climate-friendly mode of transportation, such as a long-distance train instead of a domestic flight, up to 87 percent of CO₂ emissions per passenger kilometer¹ can be reduced.

While climate-friendly alternatives exist for shorter distances, they are still lacking for intercontinental flights. At the same time, air travel has the potential to be further developed in a climate-friendly way through future technical innovations such as the development of problem-free biofuels, e-kerosene, or zero-emission aircraft. In the meantime, air passengers have the option of offsetting the emissions caused by their flight by paying a sum of money to atmosfair.

5. How does Offsetting work? The atmosfair Approach.

Unavoidable emissions, such as those from an intercontinental flight, can be offset by travelers or companies through the purchase of an offset credit. To offset one ton of CO₂, the cost is 30.00 euros. This amount is used by atmosfair to finance specific projects and measures in the Global South that result in the avoidance of one ton of CO₂, for example through the expansion of renewable energies or the use of more efficient technologies.

When selecting and developing projects, atmosfair attaches great importance to additionality. This means that the project or expansion takes place additionally and only through the proceeds from offsetting. No projects are financed that would exist without the income from offsetting, such as those funded by other sources.

Furthermore, holistic projects are being developed that, along with having a positive impact on the climate, also consider the general environmental impact, as well as social and economic effects on the local population. For instance, local communities benefit from the expansion of renewable energies by having access to a reliable source of electricity, which in turn supports educational initiatives and promotes equal opportunities. These outcomes are achieved through the double registration of the projects under the UNFCCC and Gold Standard standards. Once a project is registered, atmosfair and its local partners conduct regular monitoring to verify the actual emissions savings achieved by the project. The findings are documented in a report and subject to an independent audit.

Additionally, atmosfair collaborates with a range of stakeholders, including tour operators, airlines, airports, travel agencies, tourism associations, and media outlets, to promote awareness, provide information, and encourage conscious travel decisions, particularly with regard to air travel. For instance, tour operators can also incorporate atmosfair offsetting into their booking process.

atmosfair is a leading nonprofit organization in the field of CO₂ offsetting and climate protection projects, which is committed to transparency, effectiveness, and the promotion of sustainable development in the Global South. By prioritizing emission avoidance before offsetting, the organization provides travelers as well as companies with the option to calculate their ecological footprint and contribute to climate protection through offsetting.