Carbon offset refers to an action or activity that reduces greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), or an increase in carbon storage (e.g., through land restoration or the planting of trees) that is quantified as recompence for emissions that occur elsewhere. In market terms, a carbon offset is a transaction intended to compensate for the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a result of industrial or other human activity, especially when quantified and traded as part of a commercial scheme. Thus, carbon offsets are a set of commercial deals that permit companies, as well as individuals, to purchase ‘carbon credits’ from various environmentally friendly projects such as tree planting, or solar and wind farms to compensate for the polluters’ own carbon footprints, or GHGE. These schemes can often involve large carbon sinks such as tropical rainforests in developing countries.