Investing in climate projects should never be the only response to climate change. We all have a responsibility to measure our carbon footprint and reduce it as best we can. However with the best will in the world, reduction takes time and our infrastructure and supply chains are still carbon intensive. So as we reduce as best we can, it is vital to start funding the projects which are decarbonising the world. In this way we take responsibility and make a difference. 

As you reduce your carbon footprint as much as possible, we encourage you to invest in projects which reduce emissions even further elsewhere. Clear invests in carbon reduction projects in the developing world for three reasons.  Firstly it helps those who are least able to help themselves.  Secondly it achieves the most reduction for the money you spend.  And lastly the first world, not the developing world, is responsible for most global warming anyway, so we feel it is fairer to invest in the developing world given the moral perspective.

Clear is the only climate impact provider offering only QAS-certified products. We use the most accurate carbon calculators available on the web, and our projects are carefully vetted to meet QAS criteria which are more comprehensive than external standards such as the ICVCM and the Gold Standard.  Our downloadable Carbon Audit Tool for business is free.

Clear is extremely efficient, with carefully minimised overheads. No dividends have been taken from the company since we were founded in 2005. Any profits are reinvested into the company – whose sole aim is to tackle climate change.

Clear invests in high quality carbon reduction projects which meet the exacting criteria required by the Quality Assurance Standard.

These are retired through a central registry within 6 months of the end of each audit period which prevents them from being resold or double-counted.  We aggregate our investments to get a good price for our customers.

All the products featured on this site, including our free downloadable Carbon Audit Tool, are certified by the Quality Assurance Standard.

Planting trees is a great thing to do, and deforestation has definitely contributed to the problems the world faces. But planting trees is fraught with problems from a permanence point of view. Greenhouse gas emissions that are already in the atmosphere will stay there for the next hundred years and beyond. In fact Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund issued a joint statement in 2006 pointing this out. Trees do absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, but it takes decades for the sequestration to happen, and if the tree dies and rots, or worse is destroyed in forest fires for example, the same amount of CO2 is released straight back into the atmosphere. Mitigation strategies are often inadequate. We have a limited carbon budget left – on current estimates this runs out around 2030 – before run away events start to occur, like methane being released from melting permafrost. Its great to plant trees, but it won’t solve the climate change crisis quickly enough. Climate mitigation projects have to be meet higher criteria to be effective.

Actually, we’re not.  Many climate impact companies cut corners and have been doing so for years.  For example, many are not independently audited, or use trees (not a good idea – see above).  Many are still heavily reliant on non-additional renewable energy projects in countries like China, India and Turkey. They are cheaper, but they are misleading and don’t measure up to the standards mandated by the Quality Assurance Standard.

Clear is one of the very cheapest climate action firms for high quality carbon reduction projects.  We achieve this by continuously striving to reduce our overheads to maximise our efficiency.  So actually we’re not expensive, we represent very good value.

No!  You can contribute and make an impact online from any country and pay using several major international currencies. Everyone is free to contribute with Clear.

Because we are not asking our customers to donate to a worthwhile cause.  We do not believe that charitable status would make us either more efficient or more accountable, which is ultimately what we strive for.

Instead Clear is structured as a private company. We believe that this is the best way to deliver a cost-effective, high-quality service, exert the greatest influence, and ultimately deliver the most sustainable response to climate change.

In short, with great care. We have developed highly accurate mathematical tools and broken down your footprint into the contribution made from each source, so you can see what’s really going on. We include emissions caused getting fuel from ‘well to tank’, radiative forcing factors and uplifts for real world conditions. Our calculation methodologies are available to read through for the enthusiasts.

Clear is the only company in the world to provide accurate carbon calculation and Quality Assurance Standard  compliant contributions for skydiving and parachute jumps.

We can cover multiple jumps at very reasonable prices – check out our skydiving calculator.

Several reasons. Because airlines calculate emissions as if they happen on the ground. But of course planes produce their emissions at altitude where the effects are magnified due to contrails, direct injection into the atmosphere and several other factors. The IPCC explains it all in detail here. Clear uses an RFI (radiative forcing index) of 1.7 to allow for these effects and more accurately cover the real emissions caused by your flight. It costs more but it reflects what’s really happening. Airlines also usually ignore other important factors such as the well-to-tank component which can add up to 20% to the total, or non-CO2 greenhouse gases which is also significant. Clear aims to give you the whole picture.

Clear allows you to invest in high impact QAS-certified climate projects but is not involved in developing or certifying the projects we use for this purpose. If you are looking for project certification support, please contact verra.org or other similar organisations.