The best travel apps: Carbon Offsets

Air travel constitutes 2% of global greenhouse gasses. It's not the biggest piece of the pie, but it's enough we should consider buying carbon offsets to minimize our impact. They aren't perfect: critics like to say offsets imply we're "neutralizing" our impact when in reality you can't actually "take it back." It's already happened #nobacksies. Instead, you end up just paying someone else to cut their emissions so you don't have to.

It's true to an extent. The "ideal" solution is to not fly, but that's ultimately impractical. We often have to fly, like for business. Most people also aren't going to instantly change their habits overnight. Making it easy to buy high quality offsets is a lot better than nothing, and the increased awareness will ultimately help nudge us all in the right direction.

Tip

Some major airlines, like United and Delta, let you purchase offsets when booking your flights as an add on which can be easier.