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After a company has reduced the environmental impact of their mail-out, Royal Mail will carbon offset the remaining CO2 emissions. Royal Mail's main 'offset scheme partner' is the Woodland Trust, a charity planting native trees in the UK.
Tree planting as a way of offsetting greenhouse gasses is not without difficulties. First of all, there is the problem that it will take decades to absorb the CO2 emissions we are generating at this moment. Environmentalists argue that the solution is too long-term and that we need to take action now.
Another problem is that trees release CO2 back into the atmosphere when they die. It is therefore vital that trees planted remain as woodland indefinitely. Although the Woodland Trust is a reputable charity, it is impossible to guarantee this will happen.
A final problem with carbon offsetting through planting trees is that there is a limited amount of land we can turn into woodlands. Sooner or later we will simply run out of land.
The concept of carbon offsetting itself is also not without controversy. Friends of the Earth, for instance, argues that it is simply not possible to "buy our way out of climate change" and that buying carbon offsets often acts as a "smoke screen"; it can ward off much needed legislation, delay vital action and even encourage polluting activities. Greenpeace has described carbon offsetting as "a neat accounting trick that does little to stop global warming".
However, although most experts don't see carbon offsetting as a magic bullet, there is some consensus that carbon offsetting can at least play a part in tackling climate change, if done responsibly.