FAQ

Climate change represents the change in the climate of the earth. These changes of the natural balance have a significant impact on humans and nature. The term climate change (including climate change) alone does not indicate whether the climate warms or cools.

Climate change is affecting the temperature balance of the earth and has extensive effects on people and the environment. It is not possible to ascribe individual weather events to the current climate change, but it can be systematically proven that climate change increases the likelihood of extreme weather events.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is responsible for evaluating the risks of human-caused climate change and gathering prevention and adjustment strategies. It was established by the United Nations Environmental Organisation (UNEO) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). Based on the IPCC’s most recent report from 2013 and wide-ranging scientific analyses, there is a 95% likelihood that global warming in the last 50 years is the result of human activities.

Greenhouse gases are the gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that produce the greenhouse effect. Most greenhouse gases can have either a natural or a man-made source.

The greenhouse effect is basically a natural process that has a significant impact on the temperature on Earth. However, since the beginning of industrialisation, the presence of long-lasting greenhouse gases has been increasing dramatically.

Carbon dioxide, or CO₂, is a colourless and odourless gas. It is a natural component of our air and makes up part of the carbon cycle.

A CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) is a unit of measurement that is used to standardise the climate effects of various greenhouse gases.

Around 84% of all human-caused CO₂ emissions are created in electricity and heat production, agriculture, industry and transport.

The ecological definition of sustainability originated with the Brundtland Report in 1987, which describes sustainable development as a kind of development that satisfies the needs of the present without adversely affecting the ability of future generations to satisfy their needs.

Climate protection projects support the use of renewable energy, realise energy efficiency measures or reduce methane emissions. This can happen through energy efficiency, increased use of renewable energy and filtering of greenhouse gases from factories and production sites, as well as through reforestation and agricultural measures.

myclimate applies only the strictest independent quality standards (CDM, Gold Standard and Plan Vivo) in choosing and designing its climate protection projects.

Everyone can make a contribution to climate protection! Based on the motto “avoid, reduce and offset”, everyone can take responsibility for his or her own footprint. The most common everyday causes of harmful emissions are travel with cars or aeroplanes and infrastructural elements such as heating and energy consumption.

CO₂ certificates represent the amount of emissions that are compensated for. A certificate corresponds to one ton of greenhouse gases.

True to myclimate’s motto “do your best, offset the rest”, it’s best to avoid creating CO₂ emissions in the first place. However, due to the fact that the most important thing for the climate is to reduce the amount of emissions worldwide, unavoidable emissions can also be offset.

The myclimate climate protection projects reduce emissions by replacing fossil energy sources with renewable energy or by promoting energy-efficient technologies. High-quality climate protection projects also contribute to social, ecological and economic development in their respective regions.

Compensation achieves more than a clear conscience; by supporting a high-quality climate protection project, you take effective action for the climate and make a valuable contribution to the environment.

Carbon offsetting only has an impact when compensation payments are actually directed straight to climate protection projects. As a non-profit foundation, myclimate guarantees that at least 80 percent of compensation payments will be used directly in climate protection projects. The foundation requires the remaining amount (maximum 20 percent) to cover administration and internal costs.

myclimate invests exclusively in projects that deliver measurable and long-term success. Only emissions reductions that have actually been realised and can be proven over a longer contract term of 7 to 14 years are counted in energy projects. Compensation payments are normally paid out to the supported projects once reductions are realised. The contribution amount depends on the volume of the project’s greenhouse gas reduction. Forestry projects are slightly different because they have a longer timeline of 30 to 50 years.

No, myclimate is a non-profit organisation and, as a foundation, it uses all funds for the goal of protecting the climate.

myclimate and myclimate Germany are charitable foundations and are therefore tax-exempt in Switzerland and Germany. All compensation payments and donations to myclimate are tax-deductible.

The ecological footprint was developed by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees in the mid-1990s and it has since been implemented as an indicator of sustainability. It represents the demands made on the ecosystem and natural resources.

Activities are climate-neutral or CO₂-neutral if they do not pollute the air, i.e. not emit greenhouse gases.

In Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, national and regional emissions trading systems have been introduced to regulate industries that are particularly energy-intensive and emissions-intensive through a market mechanism. Emissions trading employs a marketplace to reduce emissions of harmful gases, which creates motivation for investing in climate-friendly technologies.

Suffizienz, auch mit Genügsamkeit umschrieben, setzt beim Verhalten der Konsumenten an. Nach dem «Weniger ist mehr»-Prinzip soll der allgemeine Ressourcenverbrauch auf ein nachhaltig zukunftsverträgliches Mass reduziert werden, da die derzeitigen Verteilungsverhältnisse von Gütern und Ressourcen nicht nur ökologisch gefährlich, sondern auch international fragwürdig sind.

Auf der Konferenz der Vereinten Nationen über Umwelt und Entwicklung im Jahr 1992 in Rio de Janeiro wurde die Klimarahmenkonvention (UNFCCC) mit dem Ziel, die Treibhausgaskonzentrationen in der Atmosphäre auf einem tragbaren Niveau zu stabilisieren und damit schwerwiegenden Folgen entgegenzuwirken, verabschiedet. Nach der Ratifizierung durch den 50. Staat trat sie im Jahr 1994 in Kraft.

Klimamodelle bilden die Basis auf welcher anhand von verschiedenen Emissionszenarien das wahrscheinliche Klima der Zukunft, sogenannte Klimaprojektionen, berechnet werden. Dabei beschreiben die Klimamodelle wie das Klima der Erde funktioniert, während die Emissionsszenarien den Einfluss der Menschen auf die Umwelt beschreiben. Werden die Klimamodelle mit den Emissionsszenarien kombiniert, kann somit mit einer bestimmten Wahrscheinlichkeit vorausgesagt werden, wie das Klima in der Zukunft wird.