What about the other gases???

I want to make a note here, that often, in talking about carbon offsets, it is assumed that the only greenhouse gas accounted for or considered is carbon dioxide. In reality, there are many gases emitted by humans and through natural processes that act as greenhouse gases, for example: methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide, ozone, and chloro fluoro compounds (CFC's). While having greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is necessary for making the earth habitable to humans and animals, too high a concentration of ghg's results in excess warming of the earth, often forcing positive feedback mechanisms to further enhance warming. While this discussion is beyond the intended scope of this blog, I bring it up to point out that, while the term "carbon offset" makes one think that it is only carbon that is being accounted for, this is not the case. Carbon offsets are measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, so that an offset of one ton of CO2e can equal either a ton of carbon dioxide or an equivalent amount of another greenhouse gas.