In the fight for the future of our planet, we'll need to use every tool at our disposal to drastically reduce carbon emissions as quickly as possible. We need governments, yes, but we need you, philanthropy and the private sector to help fix the shortfall. This is where the voluntary carbon market comes in. In the latest in our series, "Demystifying the Voluntary Carbon Market," we dig into why any worthwhile plan to reduce emissions should involve high quality carbon credits.

About Cool Effect: Cool Effect is a San Francisco Bay Area 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to reducing carbon emissions around the world. Endorsed by 1% for the Planet, its mission is to educate and then inspire businesses and individuals to take measurable action against climate change by purchasing scientifically verified carbon offsets from the world's highest quality projects. It returns more than 90% of each donation directly to its project partners and, since its launch at the Paris COP in 2015, has helped projects receive compensation for three million tonnes of emission reductions. Like the Butterfly Effect, The Ripple Effect, and others, a single action can have global impact. To learn more, visit https://cooleffect.org.

So you've decided to make a real impact on the planet and its people by purchasing carbon credits... but now what? What happens next, and where does your money go? As part of our series, "Demystifying the Carbon Market," we'll answer those very questions by exploring where carbon credits come from, take a look at some different players they encounter during their lifecycle, and dig into how you can ensure the credits you purchase are real, verified, and effective.

When it comes to carbon projects, we have very high standards. Every project represented by Cool Effect must first have carbon credits that have been issued by one of the major international Carbon Standards. But we are often asked, what is a carbon standard? And, how is that different from a carbon registry? In the latest in our series, "Demystifying the Voluntary Carbon Market," we take a look at why standards matter, and how to use them to ensure you're doing carbon correctly.

"How Do I Get Started with Carbon Offsetting?" That's a question we often hear from business leaders and individuals looking for a way to make a real impact for the planet. There's no better time than now to embrace the positive effects that carbon offsets can have for both the planet and its people. If you're looking to start making an impact using #carbonoffsets and don't know where to begin, the latest episode in our "Demystifying the Voluntary Carbon Market" series has a handy checklist to help walk you through the process. For more about Cool Effect and our Carbon Done Correctly approach, please visit cooleffect.org.

Just like there are multiple ways to reduce your carbon footprint, there are multiple different types of high quality carbon projects out there, ready to make an impact on both the planet and its people. In the latest video from our series, "Demystifying the Carbon Market," we explore two main types of #carbonoffset funded, carbon-reducing climate projects making an impact today.

With carbon offsets and their projects becoming increasingly popular, the amount of different buzzwords and project types are increasing as well, so much so that it can be difficult to decide which project to support and understand the tangible and verifiable impact offsets have. After all, not all carbon offsets are created equally — but what does that actually mean? In the first of our five-part series, Demystifying the Carbon Market, we break down and answer a very important question: What is a High Quality Carbon Offset?

Learn more at http://cooleffect.org/carbon101