FAQ

The global climate has always shown fluctuations. Since the beginning of industrialisation, however, the composition of the atmosphere has changed due to the increased emission of greenhouse gases by humans. This increases the natural greenhouse effect and leads to global warming. This noticeable change in the climate has a significant impact on humans and nature.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global warming of the last 50 years is clearly attributable to humans. Due to emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, i.e. oil, gas and coal, as well as human land use, the natural greenhouse effect is intensified.

The anthropogenic greenhouse effect is due to greenhouse gases emitted by humans, which amplify the natural greenhouse effect. This leads to global warming. This noticeable change in the climate has a significant impact on people and nature.

"Global warming" means that the average temperature everywhere on earth increases for a longer period of time. However, global warming does not necessarily mean that this happens evenly all over the world. Some parts of the earth may warm up more, others more slowly, and fluctuations cannot be ruled out.

Earth Day is a reminder that there is a need for decisive action, and that even seemingly small steps can have a big impact. Climate change destabilises the Earth’s temperature equilibrium and has far-reaching effects on human beings and the environment. A distinction is made between direct and indirect effects of climate change. During the course of global warming, the energy balance and thus the temperature of the earth change, due to the increased concentration of greenhouse gases, which has a significant impact on humans and the environment.

Greenhouse gases are the gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that produce the greenhouse effect. Most greenhouse gases can have either a natural or an anthropogenic (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 (CO₂) is a colourless and odourless gas that 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.

For scientists, the term “climate” encompasses weather patterns over a long period. Although this term is somewhat abstract, its impact is very real. What is the difference between weather and climate? And what are the climate factors and drivers?

On 1 January 2023, France introduced tighter rules for environment-related advertising and green claims and the EU is likely to soon follow suit. Products and services that are marketed with designations like “climate-neutral” are now subject to stricter conditions for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions they cause. The myclimate label “Engaged for Impact” fulfils all requirements set out by the new laws.

The ecological definition of sustainability originated with the Brundtland Report in 1987, which describes sustainable development as one that satisfies the needs of the present without adversely affecting the conditions for future generations.

Climate protection projects support the use of renewable energy, realise energy efficiency measures or reduce methane emissions. This can be achieved through technological advances, the filtering of greenhouse gases from power plants and production facilities, but also through afforestation and other suitable measures in agriculture.

myclimate applies only the strictest independent quality standards when choosing and designing its own climate protection projects. International projects are primarily certified according to Gold Standard and Plan Vivo, and selected projects also according to VCS (incl. CCB and/or SD-VISta). Swiss projects are registered according to the guidelines of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN)/Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) and verified according to the "myclimate Guidelines for Domestic Projects".

Everyone can make a contribution to climate protection! In line with the motto “Avoid, reduce and make a contribution to climate protection”, we can take responsibility for our own ecological footprint, which includes our CO₂ emissions. The most common everyday causes of harmful emissions are travel with cars or aeroplanes, heating and electricity usage and our consumption behaviour.

Greenhouse gas emissions produced by people and the resulting global temperature increase are a key cause of climate change. Through decarbonisation – the switch from fossil fuels to carbon-free and renewable energy sources – states and companies worldwide want to reduce and avoid CO2 emissions. However, current global climate targets are still not ambitious enough to effectively stem climate change.

At the COP21 climate conference in Paris in 2015, the “Paris Climate Agreement” – also known as the “Paris Treaty” or the “Paris Agreement” – was adopted. There were 197 signatories to the agreement, with almost all of them ratifying the treaty. The agreement is a legally binding international treaty that forms part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Its aim is to limit global warming, preferably to 1.5°C and significantly below 2°C, compared to the pre-industrial level of 1850.

On 11 December, 1997, in Kyoto, Japan, the additional protocol to the organisation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted. The aim was to slow down climate change by means of climate protection measures. The Kyoto Protocol included clear regulations on how greenhouse gases were to be reduced. It came into force in 2005 and was replaced by the Paris Agreement in 2021.

The 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) took place from 31 October to 12 November 2021, in Glasgow, Scotland. As at the previous Climate Change COPs, the focus was on limiting global warming and the measures needed to do so. These emission reduction certificates (Certified Emission Reductions, CERs) can be traded and transferred on international carbon markets.

The Climate Protection Plan 2050 was adopted by the Federal Government in 2016. With this plan, Germany, as one of the world's most important industrialised countries, is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 95 % by 2050 compared to 1990 and thus contribute its share to meeting the global target of the Paris Agreement. Within the plan, separate medium-term reduction targets are planned for the respective sectors (e.g. transport, energy or industry).

At a climate conference, politicians from many different countries come together to work out solutions and reach agreements to limit the increase in global warming. In 1992, the first climate conference took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the participation of the member states of the United Nations.

Emissions trading is one of the Kyoto mechanisms and aims to regulate and limit the emissions of energy-intensive factories or companies in a market-based and sustainable manner. It was introduced in the European Union in January 2005. The aim is to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and at the same time to steer towards climate-friendly technologies in order to protect the climate. A fundamental distinction is made between the mandatory emissions trading market and the voluntary emissions trading market.

The circular economy refers to a systemic approach to longer and more efficient use of resources and thus to avoidance of waste and pollution. Resources are kept in the material cycle for as long as possible with the highest possible value. This means that fewer primary raw materials are consumed, and the more efficient production processes lead to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The approach of the circular economy is not the same as that of recycling. A distinction is drawn between the technical and the biological cycles.

Achieving the Paris 1.5°C target is no longer possible through mere reduction of man-made emissions and capturing and storing them using technological solutions. For this reason, nature-based solutions are increasingly coming to the fore, rooted in the protection, regeneration and sustainable management of ecosystems. Nature-based solutions are not only one of the most powerful tools to fight climate change, but they also offer a variety of other important advantages for people and nature, such as an unspoiled environment and the protection of biodiversity.

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

The digital transformation has brought many benefits that also have a positive impact on the fight against climate change and reduce CO₂ emissions. However, the production, use and data transfer of digital devices causes more CO₂ emissions than one might expect. These emissions are summarised under the terms “digital CO₂ footprint” or “digital carbon footprint”.

“Net zero emission” by 2030 or 2050 is being demanded by the climate movement triggered by Greta Thunberg. So what exactly does “net zero emission” mean?

SBTs are a way for companies to define emissions reduction targets. Unlike traditional “potential-based targets”, SBTs follow a “top-down” approach: they focus on the quantity of emissions that needs to be reduced in order to meet the targets set out in the Paris Climate Agreement, limiting global warming to 1.5°C. In addition, the Net-Zero Standard, launched in October 2021, gives companies a science-based framework for defining ambitious and effective climate targets with a long-term goal of achieving net-zero emissions.

To reach "zero net emissions” and limit global warming to 1.5°C, it is necessary to remove and permanently store CO₂ from the atmosphere. This is called Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). As it is the opposite of emissions, these practices or technologies are often described as achieving "negative emissions", "sinks" or "removals". There is a direct link between radically reducing CO₂ emissions and CDR: The earlier net zero emissions are achieved, the less CDR is necessary. Therefore, the projected amount of required CDR over the 21st century varies from 100 to 1,000 Gt CO₂.

A CO₂ budget determines how much CO₂ a country or person is allowed to emit in order to achieve the global climate protection goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C. In Germany, German citizens cause an average of 10 tonnes of CO₂ per capita and year. In terms of the climate protection target, however, only 1 tonne of CO₂ per person and year would be acceptable.

Sufficiency, often also referred to as frugality, starts with consumer behaviour. Based on the principle of "less is more", the general consumption of resources should be reduced to a level that can be reasonably sustained in the future, as the current distribution ratios for goods and resources are not only ecologically dangerous, but also internationally questionable.

Climate models are used together with emission scenarios to calculate the probable future climate, so-called climate projections. The climate models describe how the earth's climate functions, while the emission scenarios describe the impact of humans on the environment. If the climate models are combined with the emission scenarios, it is possible to predict with a certain amount of probability how the climate will be in the future.

In connection with the topics of climate change and climate protection, there is also repeated talk of "flight shame". The term "flight shame" refers to the feeling of air travellers who are aware of the climate-damaging consequences of their journey, but still fly. Thus, they feel ashamed of their flight. At the same time, we also talk about the trend to consciously decide against air travel in order to actively reduce one's personal CO₂ footprint.

CO₂ certificates represent the amount of emissions for which financial responsibility is assumed through support for climate protection projects. One certificate corresponds to one tonne of greenhouse gases.

Insetting refers to the financing of climate protection projects along a company’s own value chain that demonstrably reduce or sequester emissions and thereby achieve a positive impact on the communities, landscapes and ecosystems associated with the value chain.

Human-induced climate change is one of the 21st century’s biggest challenges. True to myclimate’s motto “do your best - take care of 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, contributions to climate protection can also be made based on the calculated unavoidable emissions.

The replacement of the Kyoto Protocol with the Paris Agreement and the decisions of the subsequent climate protection conferences have a far-reaching impact – for all players in the carbon market and for people worldwide. myclimate is at the forefront of promoting transparency and integrity in the voluntary carbon market. The following provides an overview of current developments in the voluntary market and what they mean for private sector companies. 

If we are to achieve the Paris climate goals, then the private sector is more important than ever. The myclimate label “Engaged for Impact” (impact label for short) denotes companies that proactively and voluntarily commit to climate protection by financing climate protection measures. In addition to reducing their own emissions, this is an important component of a climate strategy towards net zero, and it also enables a company to gain experience in pricing in the costs of remaining CO₂ emissions.

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.

Supporting climate protection projects only makes a difference if the money actually benefits these projects directly. As a non-profit foundation, myclimate guarantees that at least 80 percent of climate protection contribution 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. Contributions to climate protection made to myclimate are generally paid out to the supported projects after the services have been rendered. 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.

myclimate and myclimate Germany are charitable foundations and are therefore tax-exempt in Switzerland and Germany. All climate protection contributions and donations to myclimate are tax deductible in both Switzerland and Germany.

The CO₂ tax is also known as the CO₂ price or CO₂ pricing and, like any other tax, is set individually by a state. In Sweden, the CO₂ tax has been in place since 1991 and currently stands at 114 euros per tonne of CO₂ emitted. In Switzerland, Denmark, Finland and Slovenia, a CO₂ tax has also been standard for many years. In Germany, the CO₂ tax will be introduced from 2021 with an introductory price of 25 euros and will increase gradually. By taxing CO₂ emissions, the countries are pursuing the goal of making CO₂ emissions more expensive in order to achieve a reduction in CO₂ emissions.

myclimate offers various CO2 emissions calculators for different activities. It isn’t just emissions from air travel, car journeys and cruise holidays that can be calculated: individual carbon footprints, the corporate carbon footprint and/or the greenhouse gas footprint of events can also be ascertained, and a carbon footprint drawn up for individual households. In addition, it is possible to support carbon offset projects and the valuable educational programmes of myclimate with free donations or to directly select a project of your choice for support.