What is the difference between the voluntary and compliance markets?

The voluntary market is where individuals and companies buy credits by choice, with prices set by supply and demand and quality varying widely. Compliance markets like the EU ETS are government-mandated cap-and-trade schemes with regulated, usually much higher, prices. This tool models voluntary market ranges.

Why is direct air capture so much more expensive?

Direct air capture physically removes CO2 from the atmosphere and stores it durably, often for centuries, but the technology is energy intensive and early-stage, costing roughly 250 to 600 or more per tonne. Forestry credits are far cheaper because they avoid or sequester emissions through land use, but with lower durability.

Are cheap forestry offsets reliable?

Not always. REDD+ and avoided-deforestation credits have faced criticism over baseline inflation, permanence, and double counting. Cheap credits can be real but require careful scrutiny of the registry, vintage, and verification. Durability and additionality matter as much as price.

Should I offset or reduce first?

Reduce first. Offsets should only cover residual emissions you cannot yet eliminate, not substitute for cutting your footprint. Use this tool to size the cost of offsetting what remains after you have reduced — that is the credible order recognised by science-based net-zero standards.

What does quality tier mean here?

It is a simple indication of durability and rigour. Higher tiers — engineered removals like direct air capture and enhanced weathering — store carbon for longer with clearer measurement. Lower tiers — avoided-emission forestry credits — are cheaper but carry more permanence and additionality risk.

Carbon Offset Cost Calculator

Offsetting a carbon footprint can cost a few pounds or several thousand for the same tonnage, depending entirely on the type of project you buy from. This calculator sizes the cost across the main voluntary-market project types so you can see the price-versus-durability trade-off before you spend.

How it works

The cost is a straightforward multiplication, shown across a realistic price range for the chosen project type:

low cost     = tonnes × low price per tonne
typical cost = tonnes × typical price per tonne
high cost    = tonnes × high price per tonne

Each project type carries its own price band and a quality tier reflecting how durable and rigorously measured the carbon storage is — cheap avoided-emission credits at one end, expensive engineered removals at the other.

Example and tips

Offsetting a 10-tonne annual footprint costs roughly 50 to 150 with low-cost forestry credits, 100 to 300 with higher-integrity afforestation or cook-stove projects, and 2,500 to 6,000 or more with direct air capture. The credible approach is to reduce your footprint as far as possible first, then offset only the residual — and to prefer durable, well-verified credits over the cheapest option, since a worthless credit is worse value than a costly real one.