Is there anywhere I can credibly pay any reasonable amount of money to offset my CO2 emissions? I would be willing to pay a monthly salary for this, if the effect can be demonstrated to be sustainable and permanent.
I've been wondering how the various companies that have CO2 offset programs do it; whether it's credible or not.
It depends on what you mean by offset. If you're okay with carbon stored in the biosphere by trees then there are plenty of programs. If you want to put carbon back in the geosphere (since trees eventually rot or burn) sending money to climeworks is the best thing available right now. Their DAC + geologic storage approach is expensive at around $1k/ton, but highly credible.
Not okay with planting trees; they will live on the whims of politicians and are too likely to be cut down later. It would have to be in the form of permanent reforestation, and I don't think anyone can credibly promise that.
The climeworks program looks like exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for, however, so thanks for pointing that out. My CO2 emissions are on the order of 10 tons per year, going by the average per capita number, so that would be around $10,000 per year, with no tax deduction available (my marginal tax is 40%). Also, looks like their pilot plant sequesters 50 tons per year, corresponding to the output of five people.
The Nature Conservancy has a carbon offset program that I use. They're credible. The money goes towards purchasing and managing land for forests and net carbon removal. It's surprisingly cheap.
They seem to have changed their site, though, and I can no longer find the page that allowed a direct carbon offset donation.
Also, here in Oregon, you can pay the electric company a small fee (for me, about $11-12 a month) to guarantee that your electricity use is 100% offset by carbon-neutral generation (wind, solar, hydro, nuclear).
Also in Oregon, you can pay the natural gas company a fee (for me, $5.50 per month) to offset your natural gas usage with "bio digesters." I'm more skeptical about their efficacy.
One is tempted to advise, lower your carbon footprint to start with! But its hard to figure out how. Most of the public infrastructure we use to survive is beyond our control. Drive or take the bus? Which is better? Or walk, but the extra food you consume is a worse contributor to your footprint! So remain a couch potato and work from home. But illness, depression and early decrepitude cost society too, which has its impact on CO2 footprint...
Can't reduce them to zero. CO2 capture and sequestering, or the same effect through other means that don't have externalities, is required to go CO2 neutral on a personal level.
I've been wondering how the various companies that have CO2 offset programs do it; whether it's credible or not.