Leveraging Offsets for Challenging Emissions

A carbon offset is a tradable instrument that represents the reduction or removal of one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent. Carbon offsets fund projects that reduce greenhouse gases, ranging from reforestation to renewable energy investments. Offsets can be bought and sold to transfer climate benefit between entities. (Second Nature, 2025)

Carbon emission trading first started in 1992, but the market continues to grow and change. New methodologies and programs are constantly being tested and validated to ensure that offsets are “real” and impactful. In an effort to be as thorough as possible,  when UB announced that carbon offsets were part of its climate action plan in 2020, the university engaged with numerous stakeholders and higher education peers and experts to obtain as much information as possible to ensure that UB was being as impactful and effective as possible.

The Carbon Offset committee met with many experts to guide and shape UB’s ultimate Request for Proposals to purchase offsets. Gratitude is especially extended to:

·         Meredith Leigh, Second Nature

·         Matthew Sinclar, University of California System

·         Matt Arsenault and Emma Fulop, Duke University

·         Donna Lee, Calyx Global

In 2019, the university updated its Climate Action Plan to include carbon offsets as a key strategy. Soon after, a working committee was formed with Bill McDonnell, associate vice provost for academic planning, as its chair. The first step of procuring offsets was collecting information on best practices from peer institutions. An academic studio led by Nicholas Rajkovich, associate professor of architecture and planning, allowed a group of students to take a deep dive into this work. They presented their research highlighting the current carbon market status to the committee.

This document was used as a tool to continue to navigate the complex world of carbon trading. The working group developed criteria for purchasing offsets, as well as a request for proposals (RFP) and evaluation matrix that aligned with the university’s mission of academics, research, and service.

The first draft of these documents heavily focused on the social and environmental co-benefits of these offset projects. However, key feedback from higher education peers and carbon credit rating organizations highlighted that offsets with a strong focus on co-benefits tended to have low additionality scores — a key credibility in the authenticity of the carbon credit itself.

This key finding led UB to retool its focus and narrow in on a specific type of high quality offset that consistently scored very high on the credibility and authenticity of the carbon credit claim ozone depleting substances (ODS). Please see our section on ODS in this FAQ.

With a retooled focus, the committee worked closely with UB’s procurement department and launched the RFP and collected bidder responses, which led to the purchase of ODS offsets.

Carbon credit projects of this type seek to identify, collect, and destroy ODS. ODS are compounds that contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion. Ozone depletion causes increased amounts of UVB radiation to reach Earth, which leads to more cases of skin cancer and has been linked to the development of cataracts. Increases in UVB radiation have also been shown to harm marine ecosystems by limiting phytoplankton productivity and stunting the development of fish, shrimp, and other marine life. 

ODS include a range of chemical gases, including old generations of refrigerant such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and halons that are used as fire suppressants. These gases are some of the most potent greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the world, with global warming potential values as high as 10,200. And unlike carbon dioxide, ODS cannot be re-captured or sequestered once released into the atmosphere. 

ODS destruction projects are focused on: 

• Destruction of non-CO2 gases that have a GWP higher than 1,000, meaning that gases destroyed are at least 30x more potent than methane. 

• Destruction of legacy non-CO2 gases that have been banned from production for multiple decades, leading to clear additionality.

• Superheating the gas and causing the molecules to break down, which cannot be undone. This means the project type has zero reversal risk. 

UB has an aggressive climate neutrality target. Climate neutrality is the term used to describe the balance of emissions from an institution with greenhouse gas removals (or offsets). The entity is still emitting but purchases offsets to achieve a net-zero greenhouse gas inventory. Decarbonization focuses on transitioning operations to reduce and ultimately eliminate carbon emissions from activities.  Examples of this at UB include our renewable energy generation, transitioning our heating and cooling away from natural gas to renewable energy and electrifying our fleet. Climate neutrality, while working towards decarbonization, is an important goal because of the current climate crisis. There are emissions that do not have a technological solution (like air travel) that still need to be accounted for. Having both milestones will help UB achieve its greatest environmental impact. 

The university aims to offset emissions that do not have a clear technical or behavioral solution as a bridging strategy while the institution works to decarbonize. In this first purchase, UB has offset directly financed travel, which includes: faculty and staff business and conference travel, study abroad travel, and the travel of our sports teams. There is also a small amount of emissions accounted for with our fleet as we transition all vehicles to electric. UB’s first offset purchase was 8,978 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents. 

In 2024, Second Nature published the third version of its Carbon Market and Offsets Guidance. In this, they outline the following characteristics of high-quality offsets:

·         Effective governance

·         Tracking transparency

·         Robust independent third-party validation and verification

·         Additionality

·         Permanence

·         Robust quantification of emissions reductions and removals

·         No double counting

·         Sustainable development benefits and safeguards

·         Contribution toward net zero transition

For a full definition and description of these qualities, please see Second Nature’s extensive work here.

 Second Nature also partnered with Calyx Global, a third-party carbon offset assessment organization, for access to their rating system. They rank the destruction of ODS as one of the highest quality carbon offset projects (most have an “AAA” rating) that can be purchased.