CO2Solidaire: individuals and businesses awareness [France]

Operational Themes - Climate Change

Technical card

Location: France
Set up: 2004

Description of action

Limiting climate change by reducing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by human activity has been one of the major challenges of the last few years.  When it is impossible to reduce emissions, voluntary offset is a gesture which can help to support a parallel emission reduction initiative.

In France, for more than six years, GERES has been implementing concrete measures to raise individuals’ and companies’ awareness of the impact of climate change and encourage them to limit their emissions of CO₂. CO₂Solidaire, the first voluntary offset operation in the French-speaking world, has set itself the following objectives:

• Firstly, emission reductions at source must be encouraged by providing information and food for thought to individuals, companies and local authorities wishing to commit themselves to preserving the climate.  This is the priority aim, a precondition for working towards offsetting CO₂ emissions

• Secondly, the programme proposes offsetting residual emissions by co-funding climate solidarity projects developed by GERES in countries where people have the fewest resources to cope with climate change

Since its existence, the GERES CO₂Solidaire programme has assisted more than 32 companies and 1000 individual donors.