Find answers to common questions about carbon footprints, offsetting, and using Coffset.
Carbon Footprint Basics
What is a carbon footprint?
A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (primarily carbon dioxide) generated by your actions. It includes direct emissions (like driving a car) and indirect emissions (like the energy used to produce goods you buy). Footprints are typically measured in kilograms or tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e).
How accurate is the Coffset calculator?
Our AI-powered calculator uses emission factors from authoritative sources like DEFRA, EPA, and IPCC. While it provides a good estimate, actual emissions depend on many factors we can't measure precisely (your exact car model, local electricity mix, etc.). Use the results as a guide rather than an exact figure.
What is CO2 equivalent (CO2e)?
CO2e is a standard unit that expresses the impact of different greenhouse gases in terms of the amount of CO2 that would create the same warming effect. For example, methane is 28x more potent than CO2, so 1kg of methane = 28kg CO2e.
What's the average person's carbon footprint?
Global averages vary widely: Americans average about 16 tonnes CO2e/year, Europeans around 6-8 tonnes, while the global average is about 4.7 tonnes. To limit global warming to 1.5°C, we need to reach about 2 tonnes per person by 2050.
Carbon Offsetting
What is carbon offsetting?
Carbon offsetting means compensating for your emissions by funding projects that reduce or remove greenhouse gases elsewhere. This could include renewable energy projects, forest conservation, reforestation, or carbon capture technologies. While it doesn't eliminate your footprint, it helps balance it out.
Are carbon offsets effective?
Quality matters enormously. We partner with verified offset providers using credits from established registries (Verra, Gold Standard, etc.) that ensure additionality (the project wouldn't happen without carbon finance), permanence, and no double-counting. That said, offsetting should complement, not replace, direct emission reductions.
What types of offset projects does Coffset support?
Through our partner CNaught, we support a diversified portfolio including: renewable energy, methane capture, forest protection (REDD+), reforestation, regenerative agriculture, and emerging technologies like direct air capture. This diversification reduces risk and supports multiple pathways to net zero.
How do I know my offset actually happened?
When you purchase an offset, we provide a retirement certificate showing the specific credits retired on your behalf. These credits are permanently retired in public registries and cannot be resold. You can verify retirements through the registry's public database.
What does "retirement" mean for carbon credits?
When a carbon credit is "retired," it's permanently removed from circulation and recorded in a public registry. This ensures the credit can never be sold or used again. Your retirement certificate proves you've claimed that specific environmental benefit.
Using Coffset
How does the AI calculator work?
Simply describe your activities in natural language—like chatting with a friend. Tell us about your flights, drives, home energy use, diet, or purchases. Our AI extracts the relevant details and applies appropriate emission factors to calculate your footprint.
Do I need an account to use Coffset?
You can try the calculator without an account, but creating a free account lets you save your calculations, track your progress over time, and receive your offset certificates. Account creation takes less than a minute.
How much does offsetting cost?
Offset prices vary based on project type and quality. Through Coffset, prices typically range from €10-30 per tonne of CO2e. Premium removal projects (like direct air capture) cost more but offer higher permanence. We display the exact price before you purchase.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit and debit cards through Stripe's secure payment platform. We don't store your card details—all payment processing is handled by Stripe.
Can I get a refund?
Due to the nature of carbon credit retirement (once retired, credits cannot be unreturned), we generally cannot offer refunds. If there's an issue with your purchase, please contact [email protected] and we'll work to resolve it.
Climate Action
Is offsetting enough to solve climate change?
No—offsetting is one tool among many. The most effective climate action is to reduce emissions at the source: flying less, switching to renewable energy, eating less meat, and choosing sustainable products. Offset what you can't avoid, but prioritize reduction first.
What can I do to reduce my footprint?
High-impact actions include: flying less (or not at all), switching to an electric vehicle or using public transport, eating a more plant-based diet, improving home energy efficiency, and choosing products with lower environmental impact. Our Learning Center has detailed guides on each of these.
How does Coffset contribute beyond offsets?
We're committed to transparency and education. Our Learning Center provides free resources on climate science and sustainable living. We also work to make carbon awareness more accessible through our AI-powered tools. A portion of proceeds supports climate education initiatives.
Privacy & Security
How do you use my data?
We use your calculation data solely to provide the service—generating your footprint estimate and processing offsets. We don't sell your data. Analytics data is aggregated and anonymized. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
Is my payment information secure?
Yes. All payments are processed by Stripe, a PCI-compliant payment processor. We never see or store your full card details. The connection is encrypted with HTTPS.
Can I delete my account and data?
Yes. You can request account deletion by emailing [email protected]. We'll remove your personal data within 30 days. Some information (like purchase records) may be retained for legal compliance.
Still have questions?
We're here to help. Reach out and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.