How the estimate works

As a contributing member, you see a single figure: the tonnes of emissions your contributions are expected to help reduce or remove. This page explains how we arrive at that figure, and why we keep it deliberately cautious.

What we support

ClimateCurrent supports projects that reduce or remove greenhouse-gas emissions. We look for projects whose results can be measured and checked, and we report on the projects we support as they get under way.

How expected tonnes are set

For each contribution, we set the number of tonnes we expect it to help achieve. We deliberately set this figure on the cautious side, so that it is more likely to be exceeded than missed. The figure in your account is the total for all your contributions.

Looking at the whole picture

Projects deliver at different rates and over different periods, so we assess results across all projects together rather than one by one.

Where your contribution goes

Two things come off a contribution: payment processing costs, and the costs of running ClimateCurrent, which we keep within what VAT would otherwise have taken (or a comparable share in countries without VAT). Everything else goes to climate projects, and the expected tonnes are calculated on that amount.

Corrections

We do everything we can to make sure the figure in your account holds. Should results nevertheless fall short, we will correct the figure and explain why.

What the figure means

The figure shows what your support is helping to achieve. It is not an offset of your own emissions and does not make you, or anything you do, "climate neutral" or "carbon neutral".