Offsetting our carbon emissions is a last resort to reducing or eliminating our use of greenhouse producing  fuels, energy or manufacturing.  Greenhouse gases are gases which responsible for global warming.  Examples of these are carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.  Our carbon footprint is the total of our greenhouse gas emissions.

Offsets do not actually reduce carbon emissions at the source however they seek to offset carbon emissions by reforestation and investment in renewable energy production. Trees remove greenhouse gases from the air and produce oxygen and provide wildlife habitat.  Purchasing offsets is a way of compensating for our greenhouse gases from emissions.