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Terrapass vs. South Pole: How to Choose the Right Carbon Offset Program 

Terrapass vs. South Pole Image of Carbon Removal Process

Whether you’re an individual or business seeking to neutralize your carbon emissions, you can look to the voluntary carbon offsets market for help. Voluntary carbon offsets are intended to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by allowing buyers to invest in carbon projects locally or worldwide to help reach their net-zero goals. But it’s essential to pick the right provider and the right carbon offsetting project.  

Two popular and well-respected providers in the carbon offset space are Terrapass and South Pole. But before we dive into the Terrapass vs. South Pole debate and what differentiates them from marketplace competitors, let’s first define what a carbon offset program is and why they matter. 

What Is a Carbon Offset Program? 

A carbon offset is a tradable certificate tied to activities that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. One carbon offset is equal to one metric ton (2,205 pounds) of CO2. Offset credits are a simple way for businesses and individuals to take immediate and pragmatic action to “neutralize” their carbon footprint. They can purchase an equal number of carbon offsets to the emissions they’re responsible for. 

By buying a carbon offset, an individual or business can fund projects that fight climate change instead of directly taking actions to lower their carbon emissions. Popular projects that reduce carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas emissions might include: 

  • Forest conservation or reforestation 
  • Wind and solar farm developments 
  • Methane gas capture 
  • Clean cooking stoves 

Carbon Offset Program Expectations 

When it comes time to choose a carbon offset provider, the most critical thing to consider is the quality of their carbon offset projects. Every program will have unique offerings, with varying degrees of cost and impact, so take into consideration the following expectations to gauge the quality of a project: 

  • Additionality: Additionality is the idea that a carbon offset project is only effective if the emissions reductions it produces would not have happened without the incentive provided by the sale of carbon offsets. In other words, the project must be “additional” because it’s only made possible by a market for carbon offsets. Evaluating the additionality of a project can be difficult because many emissions-reducing activities happen for reasons unrelated to carbon offsets. 
  • Baseline emission levels: Can you determine the greenhouse gas emissions levels before investing in the project to calculate the real impact later? Not all projects are created equal regarding overall impact, so knowing what kind of environmental, economic, and social impact a project will have on its community can make all the difference. 
  • Comprehensive benefits: Does the project offer social and economic benefits for the local communities? The provider should prove that their programs don’t cause negative environmental impacts nor affect nearby communities. Every project should be designed to benefit the local ecosystems and communities directly affected. 
  • Permanence: Greenhouse gas emissions reductions must be permanent in order to have value in the carbon markets. Permanence is typically defined as providing lasting environmental benefits for at least 100 years. Ensuring permanence in GHG reduction and sequestration projects can be achieved through the use of technologies that enable the collection and destruction of GHGs or by ensuring that the carbon associated with credited GHG projects remains stored for at least 100 years.  
  • Transparency: A reputable carbon offset provider should be transparent in its practices and explain its operations and past project results clearly. Additionally, they should provide physical proof that your offsets are owned by you and will not be resold to another customer while you’re the owner.  
  • Third-party verification: Third-party verification is an important indicator of a high-quality carbon offset program. This process involves accredited organizations inspecting the program and ensuring it meets certain standards. The global standard for carbon verification is the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), which is overseen by Verra. VCS rules and regulations ensure that all GHG reductions or removals are real, measurable, additional, conservative, permanent, independently verified, uniquely numbered, and transparently listed.  
  • Education: Does the carbon offset provider emphasize educating its customers by providing abundant tools and resources about the effects of global warming and how different carbon offset projects impact the environment and local communities? 

Terrapass vs. South Pole: How They Stack Up 

South Pole Image go Penguins Divingsource

Terrapass and South Pole are two key players in the competitive landscape known as the carbon offset marketplace. They compete for market share with other large companies such as Aera Group, Green Mountain Energy, 3Degrees, NativeEnergy, and GreenTrees. Terrapass and South Pole offer carbon-offsetting products to help reduce your overall carbon footprint while being subject to third-party verifiers. 

Let’s take a look at Terrapass vs. South Pole to see who offers the best carbon offset programs that suit your environmental initiatives. 

About Terrapass 

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Terrapass is a social enterprise dedicated to combating climate change through education, customer-funded emissions reduction projects, and custom renewable energy solutions. They aim to provide individuals and companies with the necessary resources to understand and address their climate impact. 

By purchasing carbon removal programs from Terrapass, customers also support emissions reduction initiatives in communities worldwide. Furthermore, Terrapass‘s offset portfolio is independently verified by third-party organizations like the Gold Standard, Verified Carbon Standard, Climate Action Reserve, American Carbon Registry, and the CSA Group. 

About South Pole 

Previously known as South Pole Carbon and South Pole Group, South Pole is a Swiss-based carbon finance consultancy founded in 2006 in Zurich, Switzerland. South Pole has been working with businesses, governments, and organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions via their verified carbon offset projects.  

South Pole offers various sustainability and environmental services, including project and technology finance, data analysis, advisory services, and carbon and renewable energy credits. South Pole’s purpose and mission is to finance the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. They aim to achieve decarbonization by having a strong understanding of climate risks and opportunities across sectors.  

South Pole also aims to meet high emission reduction standards. South Pole‘s entire offset portfolio is subject to independent third-party organizations, including the Gold Standard, Verified Carbon Standard, Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standard, Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta), and SOCIALCARBON. 

Comparing Rates 

Terrapass and South Pole pride themselves on only sourcing carbon credits that meet the highest standards, which means they may be unable to match the prices offered by other providers who don’t prioritize quality. However, this commitment to excellence doesn’t result in premium pricing from Terrapass and South Pole. In fact, they offer competitive pricing plans with multiple options to fit your unique needs. 

Terrapass offers seven different pricing options for offsetting your carbon footprint, including gifting carbon offsets to someone else. With Terrapass, you have the choice of the following: 

Meanwhile, South Pole offers varying carbon emission reduction projects. As of December 5, 2022, the prices for their projects range from $12.65 per ton of CO2 for a hydropower project in Indonesia to $83.83 per ton of CO2 for a sustainable farming project in Germany. 

Comparing Projects 

Environment Trees in Naturesource

Terrapass funds renewable energy projects by partnering with project owners in communities across North America and worldwide. Terrapass’ portfolio of projects includes landfill methane flaring, farm methane digesters, wind power, forestry, farm power, abandoned coal mine methane capture, and BEF water restoration certificates. Before adding any project to its portfolio, Terrapass performs due diligence to understand its impact and thoroughly monitors and verifies its emissions reductions once in its portfolio. 

South Pole has developed and financed over 1,000 projects throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, North America, and South America that reduce carbon emissions, protect biodiversity, and bring real benefits to local communities. These include nature-based projects such as afforestation/reforestation, switching to organic fertilizers, methane reduction from rice farming, and mangrove planting and protection. South Pole also focuses on sustainable technologies emphasizing energy efficiency, like hydropower, geothermal, wind power, solar power, and biomass projects. 

Other Considerations 

Funding environmental-friendly projects within your budget aren’t the only thing to consider when choosing a marketplace provider. When it comes down to comparing Terrapass vs. South Pole, you should also take into account the following considerations: 

  • Offset calculator tool: Both providers have a calculator tool for helping you add up your personal and business emissions, whether from a personal vehicle, public transit, or air travel. They also let you calculate your emissions based on the energy source used to heat your home. 
  • Target market: Both providers target businesses and organizations to help them reach their carbon neutral goals. The key difference between Terrapass and South Pole’s business strategy is that Terrapass also has dedicated products and resources for assisting individuals in reducing their carbon footprint. In contrast, South Pole focuses on helping businesses, governments, and organizations.  
  • Convenience: Terrapass and South Pole offer convenient solutions that can be purchased on their websites, such as monthly subscription options and flight offset calculators. Terrapass also provides other convenient solutions such as eco-friendly tourist options for frequent travelers and wedding day carbon offset packages. 

Choosing the Right Carbon Offset Program for You 

Choosing an offset provider that’s reliable, trustworthy, and offers a portfolio of verified projects is exactly why Terrapass and South Pole should be considered for purchasing carbon offsets. Knowing which one to choose primarily comes down to determining what type of carbon reduction projects you’re interested in and whether or not you’re an individual, business, or organization looking to reduce your emissions. 

Terrapass and South Pole are two top carbon offset marketplaces with portfolios of clean energy projects like wind energy farms and geothermal energy production. Both providers offer trusted third-party verified solutions that provide real, positive environmental change to help you manage your environmental impact. 

So how do you pick the right provider in the Terrapass vs. South Pole debate?  

If you’re looking for a provider that offers a great user experience with convenient options for individuals and businesses, Terrapass would be the top choice. Since South Pole boasts the most extensive project portfolio, they will be your best option if you’re a business or organization looking for a diverse range of projects spanning the global market. 

You can learn more about Terrapass’ wide range of carbon credit packages and monthly subscription offerings for individuals and businesses. If you’re a business or organization seeking a more detailed solution to offset your emissions, you can schedule a consultation with one of our advisors.