What Are Removals and Offsets?

While we are striving to minimize all greenhouse gas emissions, we do acknowledge that not all current emissions are possible to eliminate in the next decades. To address these unavoidable emissions, Cornell has ongoing and planned initiatives to “offset” them. The removals and offsets category covers Cornell’s negative emissions in the greenhouse gas inventory. 

Greenhouse gas removals, or carbon dioxide removals, refers to methods that actively remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and store it permanently, so it is not re-released to the atmosphere. There is a wide variety of techniques. Offsets refers to avoided or removed greenhouse gas emissions outside the Ithaca Campus inventory boundary to compensate for emissions within the boundary

To make sure that the removals and offsets are credible. Cornell only claims negative emissions for projects that can qualify as high-quality carbon credits, i.e. are Additional; Not overestimated; permanent; not claimed by another entity; and not associated with significant social or environmental harm. (Ref. Carbon Credit Guide)

How are we increasing removals and offsets?

All Cornell’s offsets originate from Cornell’s own projects and owned land. For now, these are mainly renewable energy production from the solar farms in the Finger Lakes region. Cornell also has some smaller projects that have resulted in carbon sequestration. Among them is the Campus Tree Initiative.

Solar renewable energy projects contributing to a greener grid