Carbon Offsets vs Carbon Removal:
How to remove your carbon footprint
If you’re looking to offset your carbon footprint, you’re asking the right question.
The answer is carbon removal.
Carbon removal physically removes CO₂ already in the atmosphere and stores it durably for the long term.
Remove Carbon Today is built specifically to provide this for individuals.
We enable individuals worldwide to clean their carbon footprint through certified carbon removal with public registry proof.
Every removal offered here is certified by Puro.earth, independently verified, durably stored for 100+ years, already occurred (ex-post), retired on your behalf within one month of purchase, and confirmed in an email with a link to the retirement record at the public registry.
The difference between carbon offsets and carbon removal
"Carbon offset" is a broad term, used inconsistently. It most commonly refers to traditional offsets that aim to reduce or avoid future emission, but is sometimes used as a term to cover all efforts that aim to limit the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere.
In practice, carbon offsets and carbon removal serve different purposes and work in different ways.
Offsets and what they do:
- Typically fund projects that focus on reducing or avoiding emissions
- Avoid future emissions rather than directly remove already-emitted CO₂ from the atmosphere
- Are often issued in advance, before the climate impact happens
- Frequently rely on estimates and may not be independently measured or verified
Carbon removal and what it does:
- Physically removes CO₂ from the atmosphere
- Stores it durably for over 100 years
- Is issued only after removal has already happened (ex-post)
- Can be measured, independently verified and publicly tracked
Key takeaway:
Offsets aim to reduce or avoid future emissions.
Carbon removal is the only direct way to clean past emissions.
Why offsets don’t actually clean your carbon footprint
A traditional offset credit models the future emissions that would have happened without it, and sells the difference. For example, a cookstove project credit sells the future emissions of wood that would have been burned without it. Or, avoided deforestation credit sells the emissions that would have been freed back to the air if the trees were cut.
A traditional offset credit is a counterfactual, and that is where the integrity problem sits. A 2024 meta-study in Nature Communications covering 14 studies across 2,346 projects and almost a billion tonnes of issued traditional offset credits, estimated that fewer than 16% of those credits represented real emission reductions: 11% for cookstoves, 25% for avoided deforestation, and no measurable reduction at all from wind power or improved forest management.
Traditional offset projects aim to reduce the rate at which future emissions grow, which matters in the long term. But what they cannot do is to take back the excess CO₂ that is already emitted in the atmosphere and warming the planet, which certified carbon removal does. With traditional offsets, nothing physically changes in the air when the credit is issued, whereas the issuance of a certified carbon removal credit verifies that CO₂ has been physically removed from the atmosphere, so it is the only direct way to clean past emissions.
Both are essential - reducing future emissions and removing the excess CO₂ today - but they serve fundamentally different roles.
Learn more:
Study: Probst et al., Nature Communications (2024) →
What carbon removal does differently and why it matters
Carbon removal focuses on measurable outcomes, not future estimates.
High-quality personal climate action must meet these seven non-negotiable quality criteria:
- Already secured (ex-post) - no future promises, no delivery risk
- Independently certified (Puro.earth) - no vague claims
- Truly additional - no business-as-usual
- Durable for centuries - no temporary storage, no reversal risk
- Traceable in public registry - no double-counting
- Proven in one month - no second-guessing
- Transparently priced - no hidden markup
This is why science recommends carbon removal as essential for CO₂ emissions you cannot avoid.
What certified, ex-post carbon removal means
At Remove Carbon Today, we make certified, durable, ex-post carbon removal available for individuals with public registry proof.
In practice, this means:
- We purchase certified carbon removal in bulk after the CO₂ removal has been verified
- We make removals available to individuals in small or large quantities
- For every tonne sold, we retire removal certificates in a public registry on behalf of customers
- Customers receive a registry link within one month of purchase as proof of removal
Carbon removal turns your intent into real, durable, and independently verified climate impact today.
Our commitment
Your carbon removal with Remove Carbon Today is:
✅ Already Secured (ex-post) - no future promises, no delivery risk
✅ Independently Certified (Puro.earth) - no vague claims
✅ Truly Additional - no business-as-usual
✅ Durable for Centuries - no temporary storage or reversal risk
✅ Traceable in Public Registry - no double-counting
✅ Proven in one month - no second-guessing
✅ Transparently priced - no hidden markup (see our cost breakdown)
✅ Built for individuals - no paperwork, no waiting
We commit to being worthy of your trust. If you have questions or concerns at any time, please contact us and we'll solve it together.
Want to learn more about carbon removal?
How to start today (in under 5 minutes)?
If you want to remove your carbon emissions today:
- Accept that some residual emissions are unavoidable
- Choose certified, durable, ex-post carbon removal (not vague offsets)
- Start with a clear, simple amount
- Ensure you receive a public registry link showing retirement
This turns climate concern into concrete action — with evidence.
Your easy steps to remove carbon
🍀 You choose your emissions to remove - from kilograms to lifetime
🍀 You choose the pace - one-time or recurring
🍀 You complete your purchase - check out with preferred payment method
🍀 We confirm your order - immediately after purchase
🍀 We source certified removal credits - from our removal partners
🍀 We retire your removal - within one month of purchase
🍀 You receive proof - a link to your retirement at public registry
Common carbon removal choices
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Flight Carbon Removal
115 kg of CO₂ per hour in economy
Flight Carbon Removal
115 kg of CO₂ per hour in economy
Regular price €23,00Regular priceUnit price per -
Driving Carbon Removal
30 kg of CO₂ per 100 km on petrol/diesel car
Driving Carbon Removal
30 kg of CO₂ per 100 km on petrol/diesel car
Regular price €5,95Regular priceUnit price per -
1 tonne of Carbon Removal
One-time - Customise in 1 tonne units
1 tonne of Carbon Removal
One-time - Customise in 1 tonne units
Regular price €198,00Regular priceUnit price per -
10 tonnes of Carbon Removal
One-time - Customise in 10 tonne units
10 tonnes of Carbon Removal
One-time - Customise in 10 tonne units
Regular price €1.980,00Regular priceUnit price per
FAQ: Carbon removal for individuals
Are carbon offsets and carbon removal the same thing?
No.
Traditional carbon offsets usually fund emission reductions or avoidance, such as projects that aim to prevent future emissions from occurring (for example, renewable energy or efficiency improvements). These approaches reduce the rate at which emissions grow, but they do not remove carbon dioxide that is already in the atmosphere.
Carbon removal is different. It physically removes CO₂ that has already been emitted and stores it durably, typically for centuries or longer. This lowers the total amount of excess CO₂ in the atmosphere, already warming our planet, not just future emissions.
In short: reductions and avoidance limit future emissions, while carbon removal addresses past emissions. Both are needed, but they serve fundamentally different roles.
What does "carbon removal" actually mean?
Carbon removal means physically removing carbon dioxide (CO₂) that is already in the atmosphere and storing it in a stable form for the long term.
It differs from emission reductions (cutting future emissions) and avoidance (preventing future emissions).
Durable carbon removal typically refers to storage lasting centuries or longer, rather than decades.
Who is Remove Carbon Today?
Remove Carbon Today is an online store that makes durable, certified carbon removal accessible to individuals.
We offer already-issued (ex-post) carbon dioxide removal certificates with verified storage lasting 100+ years, tracked and retired in public registries such as Puro.earth.
Our focus is helping people take meaningful, verifiable action on their unavoidable emissions with proof of removal provided within one month.
How do I know the carbon is really removed?
Remove Carbon Today relies on crediting platforms, such as Puro.earth, for carbon removal methodologies, certification, independent verification, and public registry tracking.
Removals are issued as CO₂ Removal Certificates (CORCs) after third-party auditing, and certificates are retired when used so they cannot be claimed again.
Within one month of purchase, you receive a confirmation link that allows you to verify the retirement of your removal in the public registry.
When is my carbon removal completed?
Your removal is completed within one month of purchase, once the corresponding carbon removal certificate is retired on your behalf and recorded in the public registry. You will receive a confirmation email with a public registry link.
Why do you focus on biochar?
Biochar is one of the most practical durable carbon removal options available to individuals today at meaningful scale. It stores carbon for 100+ years (often centuries) with low reversal risk when produced and applied correctly, and it can be measured, independently verified, and certified under established standards.
Remove Carbon Today starts with biochar and will make additional durable carbon removal methods available as they become sufficiently mature, verifiable, and accessible for individuals.
What is your pricing based on?
Pricing reflects the underlying cost of certified carbon removal certificates and the operation of the service. We price removals based on the average cost we pay for each verified CO₂ Removal Certificate (CORC), plus a transparent 11% operating margin.
Durable, independently verified removals (like biochar) usually cost more than conventional offsets because they fund real, measured, ex-post CO₂ removal and long-term storage, rather than reduced or avoided emissions.