Carbon-offsetting might be one of those phrases you hear on the news. You feel like you should probably sit up and pay attention, but somehow the moment passes you by.
Carbon offsetting is important
So what is carbon-offsetting and why’s it important? Well, first things first, you’ll know the planet has a climate crisis on its hands.
Broadly, it comes down to carbon dioxide (CO2). The stuff we humans do, produces bucketloads of it. You know, burning fossil fuels, turning on the kettle, leaving lights on and, yep, driving a car.
CO2 helps to trap heat in the atmosphere, and that’s not a good thing. It creates greenhouse gases that increase the temperature of the planet. So glaciers and ice sheets shrink, lake ice breaks up earlier, plants and trees bloom sooner and we get longer, more-intense heat-waves that can result in wildfires.
Bees and bears
All of this is messing with our delicate ecosystem. Just ask the bees and the polar bears. Only don’t get too close.
The very smart people at the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) have warned that human emissions of heat-trapping gases have already warmed the climate by around 1.1 degrees Celsius since 1750 and they reckon you can add another three or four to that by 2100.
The time to act is now. Because this is the only environment we’ve got. We can’t take it back to the shop and get another one. So what can be done?
Trees are our heroes here. Trees are like little green warriors, capturing carbon and locking it up for centuries through photosynthesis. In fact, woodland is where it’s at, environmentally.
But trees don’t stop there. They suck up water, so they prevent flooding, reduce urban temperatures, cut down on pollution and keep soil nutrient-rich. No wonder some of us hug them.
Carbon offsetting your journeys
At Zixty we’re committed to making a difference and doing our bit for the planet.
That’s why we believe in carbon offsetting journeys. Okay, we know cars pump carbon into the atmosphere, so we aim to compensate for the CO2, or possibly make a net reduction – which is based on your individual driving style.
One way to do this is by planting trees. Enable Zixty Miles in the app and we’ll record the distance you travel and your driving style. We then reward you by carbon-offsetting some or even all of your journeys while your policy is in force – by up to 100 miles each day, whatever car you insure with us.
You’ll be given an EcoScore according to how planet-friendly your driving is and we’ll use this to work out your total emissions and how many trees to plant. We work with Eden Reforestation to ensure the trees are sustainably and environmentally planted.
Let’s all stop hitting snooze on climate change. Download the Zixty app today.
