Carbon offsets: Guilt relievers or effective tools for combating global warming?
By: DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer | ∞
With Earth Day approaching -- this Sunday -- perhaps you'll pause to consider how to do your part to save the planet.
If you're looking for ideas, here's one the paper recently received: DrivingGreen.com is promoting the opportunity to calculate how much carbon dioxide you spew into the atmosphere, based on the car you drive and the miles you put on it.
Using a calculator on the company's Web site, you can determine your very own contribution to the global warming problem.
For example, if you own a 2004 Honda Civic and travel 2,000 miles a month -- 24,000 miles a year -- your compact emits 6.6 tons a year, which can be offset for the bargain price of $48.
If you drive a 2007 Hummer H-3, your carbon footprint is larger, at 14.3 million tons. But the firms says you can erase it all by writing a check for $104.
That's not all. You'll get a license-plate frame that says your car is "greenhouse gas neutral" and a green T-shirt that boasts: "I emit no gas."
Of course, you might want to be a little selective about who you wear the shirt around. Close family members and co-workers might take exception to its bloated message.
"Just like anything else, there is a time and a place," said Dan Linsky, director of DrivingGreen.com, in a telephone interview. "You wouldn't wear it to your grandma's Thanksgiving dinner."
But some have had a lot of fun in other circles, Linsky said.
"One person told us, 'I wore it to a concert this weekend, and everyone was asking me questions and cracking jokes.' It was meant as a conversation starter," he said.
The program also is meant for more than driving. Using the handy calculator, one can make amends for flying across the country and hosting events such as weddings, too. "Party green!" is the group's theme. And they're not talking about St. Patrick's Day.
However, the group does have an Irish connection.
DrivingGreen.com is a Florida-based subsidiary of Ireland-based AgCert International. The Florida office says it slashes emissions of greenhouse gases, which act like a blanket and trap the planet's warmth, by buying special machines for dairy farms. Called digesters, the machines burn animal waste, capture methane gas without letting it escape and convert it into electricity to power agricultural operations.
But how much of your money actually winds up on the farm?
"Right now it's probably about 50-50 to tell you the truth," Linsky said. He said farmers get half the proceeds. The rest goes for the promotional items, overhead and profit.
And by the way, the offset equation does not factor in the greenhouse gas produced from the manufacture of those T-shirts and license plates, Linsky said. He said the company intends to offset those emissions at some point.
The new program ----launched in November ---- is one of many carbon-offset projects springing up around the globe. The idea of offsetting greenhouse gases has become particularly popular among celebrities who enjoy lavish lifestyles.
And appears to be a savvy way to attract investors. And it sounds noble, too.
But it seems like something is missing here. Isn't the bottom-line goal in the battle against climate change is to change habits and lifestyles, rather than to ease our guilt while we continue to waste resources?
Wouldn't it be better if we traded in our Hummers for more fuel-efficient vehicles, drove less, moved closer to work or downsized our McMansions?
More Stories
- Gunman kills 30 at Virginia Tech shooting before being killed
- Mission San Luis Rey celebrates its roots with 'Earth Day' event
- Carlsbad to discuss pedestrian bridge near elementary school
- Volunteer firefighters working with new county assets
- Carbon offsets: Guilt relievers or effective tools for combating global warming?
Advertisement
San Marcos Taxpayer wrote on Apr 15, 2007 8:36 PM:What a bunch of hogwash! Maybe we should stop breathing too because that also creates carbon dioxide. This is some scam thought up by people who want to make money off of saps while saying they are going to save the world. It's all bogus.
Elizabeth wrote on Apr 15, 2007 11:40 PM:Correct, it was thought up by people who want to make money off saps! One moneymaker in this carbon-emissions trading is Al Gore. Monetize emissions. It started in Europe and is now headed to America thanks to Al Gore. Gore's company is Generation Investment Management formed with David Blood who headed up Goldman Sachs Assets. The sad thing is pension funds, which only the managers have control over, will be going into this hedge fund investment scam.
It can Work!!! wrote on Apr 16, 2007 1:11 AM:The idea of donating money to decrease the atmospheric greenhouse content is fine, but who's to say that your money is actually being used efficiently and directly for something like newly planted trees and their maintenance. But, to buy something fuel-inefficient like a Hummer and pay some kind of offset is total hypocrisy.
john wrote on Apr 16, 2007 4:39 AM:Im with the san Marcos person on this global warming bull. Just plain bad politicized science. Whatever scientist can come up with the wildest THEORY ,gets the cash.Way too much Al Gore crap.Half a degree in 100 thousand years doesnt tell ya much. The sky is falling. Probably ought to worry about Global Idiotizing,thats a real problem.
I think wrote on Apr 16, 2007 4:44 AM:It is a good idea.
to taxpayer wrote on Apr 16, 2007 4:54 AM:no, don't stop breathing. what we really need to do is evacuate the oceans into space, as evaporation off the oceans creates the greatest "pollutants". then get rid of all the trees. Should be called 'global-NORMING' not 'global-warming.' Carbon credits is like going on the Al Gore diet -- I eat everything I want, you starve :)
Jason wrote on Apr 16, 2007 6:00 AM:Great another scam put on by Al Gore who buys his offsets from a company that HE is a founding parter and a Chairman of. By buying offsets from Generation Investment Management LLP, Al is infact putting money into his own pocket.
Stop the insanity!!! wrote on Apr 16, 2007 6:17 AM:Temperature on the earth is cyclical. Your SUV did not melt the land bridge that allowed Asians to cross over the Bering Strait and settle in the Americas. Your SUV did not cause the glaciers to recede, which led to the creation of the great lakes. Sometimes the Earth warms, and sometimes, it cools. To the extent that global warming is statistically significant, it is benign. More people die from freezing to death each year than from excessive heat.
P wrote on Apr 16, 2007 7:06 AM:It's April 16th in California and I just had to turned my heat on because it's so stinking cold. Darn global warming!
I agree wrote on Apr 16, 2007 7:16 AM:Lets start with the NCT, stop having their rolls of paper delivered to them by trucks and stop delivering to their news stands. Everybody can walk even Gore and the rest of the losers.
Before you wrote on Apr 16, 2007 7:19 AM:guys go wild eyed crazy on the rest of us with your ridiculous ideas. Lets take some time and return back to when the scientist? told us millions of people will die beccause of the BIRD FLU! How many billions were ripped off the American taxpayer on that one. Finish one goofy story before you move on to the next great swindle.
It is a lie wrote on Apr 16, 2007 7:22 AM:actually we will be doomed by the earth's gravity. It is growing stronger all of the time soon it will pull the moon, causing the moon to crash onto the earth! But I can stop this, just send me tax payer dollars and I can make it all go away! Trust me!
allen wrote on Apr 16, 2007 7:44 AM:PT Barnum and that fellow who first sold the Brooklyn Bridge must be rolling over in their graves. What an opportunity they missed. In years to come Al Gore will replace these hucksters and assume the title of iconic con artistfor the ages. He is going to make us all pay for that loss in Florida one way or another.
Big Al wrote on Apr 16, 2007 7:58 AM:I've enlisted the help of my dog as a CO2 tracker. Everytime the neighbors start their car...he barks to let me know they are putting CO2 in the air. Can I get a grant or donation for the fine work he does?
Concerned-1 wrote on Apr 16, 2007 8:27 AM:Global warming is a tool being used by the fear culture to manipulate the general public. While I am all for safer, cleaner, smarter use of energy, I'm not buying the global warming conspiracy!
Global Warming????? wrote on Apr 16, 2007 8:28 AM:Have these people, who are promoting Global Warming, ever been outside lately? We have had one of the coldest winters I can remember. I lost alot of my landscaping plants around my home due to freezing temperatures. I have also had the highest propane gas bills. I agree with Stop the Insanity!!!
Alf wrote on Apr 16, 2007 9:29 AM:Did you know, "P", that the term "global warming" contains the word "global"? Did you know that "global" means more than just here in your back yard, or Southern California, or the United States, for that matter? Think outside the local area, think everywhere. Understandingly, Alf.
Love it, Americans Demonstate Ignorance wrote on Apr 16, 2007 9:30 AM:A vast majority of scientists have validated the global warming scenario, and Americans (most of whom have no scientific background) dismiss it as nonsense. It is dimsissed because it threatens our extravagant life style. It is this lifestyle that has created the problem. Go ahead, continue the alcoholic-type denail of the facts. Keep singing the "cyclic swing" mantra of Bush and Company. Yeah, it might be cold today, but this was a very warm winter, it is world averages that are important. Oooops, I forgot, that is not in the talking points. Being so wrong on Iraq is one thing, being wrong on global warming will be fatal to future generations.
Skeptic wrote on Apr 16, 2007 9:43 AM:Yeah, right. Run right out and buy that Prius or whatever. Here is something from the NASA website: "By understanding the impact of large volcanic eruptions on Earth's climate system in more detail, perhaps scientists will be in a better position to suggest measures to lessen their effects on people and natural resources" In other words, just from this source alone ~ volcanic eruptions ~ more information is needed re global warming. I'm thinking that flucuations in climate are driven more by nature itself than by humans and just a little reading of the geologic history of the earth bears this out. So far, all I see is politically driven agitation about "excessive emission of greenhouse gases" by people like Al Gore who are totally incompetent and unqualified to weigh in on the subject. Snake oil salesman Gore is. Scientist he is not.
NCT Critic wrote on Apr 16, 2007 10:00 AM:It looks more and more that your readers do not believe the news worthiness of your articles. Has your subscriptio rates starting falling yet like what has happened to other stellar liberal newspapers like the New York Times. Lee Enterprises used to be a good owner of newspapers. What happened to their integrity?
Bill wrote on Apr 16, 2007 10:09 AM:I love it, I am going to buy more offsets so I can turn on my airconditioning and light up my fireplace at the same time.....I feel so green!!!
BJane wrote on Apr 16, 2007 10:57 AM:To "It is a lie". Hush, you are scaring me! ;)
Ron wrote on Apr 16, 2007 11:13 AM:Isn't the point to reduce greenhouse gases? Offsetting is baloney. It does nothing to actual reduction, but gives you the "feeling" of doing something good, just so you can feel better about your footprint. And of course, the richer you are, the more you can offset, and the better you feel about yourself. Which, in time, will lead to "carbon offset envy", and another government program for those who can't afford carbon offsets.
Alf wrote on Apr 16, 2007 11:32 AM:The entire concept of "carbon offsets" is a scam and a farce and contributes nothing to the objective. Disgustedly, Alf.
Matt wrote on Apr 16, 2007 11:52 AM:I don't believe in science! The Sun revolves around the Earth! Anyone who says otherwise is an atheist and a communist. Oh, and evolution was made up by the Devil.
They can't wrote on Apr 16, 2007 11:57 AM:even predict tomorrows weather, yet they want us to believe what will happen 50 years down the road?
Love It's Ignorance wrote on Apr 16, 2007 12:10 PM:You fail to mention that a vast majority of scientists have not validated global warming. You forget that science is absolute. Global warming is definitely not absolute. There are a number of pro-global warming scientists who are coming out rethinking their previous claims. We can sit here and say that global warming makes common sense, but that is not science. That is politics. Just because blowhards like Gore, Moore, and other publicity hounds say it exits doesn't make it so. Oh, and maybe you would like to explain your scientific background to the rest of us Americans who haven't been able to prove it exists.
Concerned-1 wrote on Apr 16, 2007 12:18 PM:To Love it: So a "vast majority of scientists" have validated global warming? That's good. They can predict things about global warming and temperatures, but they can't tell us if it's going to rain next week? I'm afraid you're the one who is being taken for a ride.
AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Apr 16, 2007 12:19 PM:For the first time I could care less about the global warming hysteria, other than waiting for the "offsets" to hit our pocketbooks. I just enjoyed the heck out of the article. Dave Downey has a great sense of humor. And so has Bill at 10:09AM. Write some more Dave!!!
Concerned-1 wrote on Apr 16, 2007 12:22 PM:This just in from the left: it's not "global warming" any more, it's been changed to "climate change." This way it can be applied more liberally!
RCH wrote on Apr 16, 2007 12:50 PM:I visited the Columbia Ice fields in Alberta Canada in 2003, there were signs with dates posted along the trail from the parking lot to the base of the glacier. The dates started about 1885 and they showed how far it had melted every 10-15 years. Funny thing is, it was melting long before CFC's and car exaust were around. Food for thought, If you have an "Ice Age" EVERYTHING after that will be WARMER.
Sharon wrote on Apr 16, 2007 1:03 PM:Regardless of your belief in, or disbelief in global warning, take a look at the quality of the food you eat, and see if you can remember a time when a tomato tasted like a tomato and could be obtained cheaply. The weather is changing, the reason is irrelevent, but anything we can do which has a chance of slowing the change down will give us a healthier future. The carbon footprint calculators, like those in this article and on bp.com are great educational tools to help people focus on the waste generated by our lifestyles. Waste is waste. Why not try to be considerate of your neighbors and the future of our children.
Hey I hear wrote on Apr 16, 2007 1:22 PM:Mars is warming up to cuz all of those little green men are driving their SUVs everywhere!
I am planning wrote on Apr 16, 2007 1:28 PM:on taking a crusie liner vacation next year. Can Gore and the others tell me how far we can travel before we fall off the edge of the world?
Is this Fantasy Island? wrote on Apr 16, 2007 1:48 PM:With Gore as Tatoo, da earth, boss, da earth, its on fire!
RCH wrote on Apr 16, 2007 2:22 PM:To Sharon; I ride my bicycle to work everyday, so my truck sits most of the time, that's my part, how about you. Tomatoes don't taste like tomatoes anymore because it is CHEAPER to use up the nutrients in the soil and produce an inferior crop than to let the land rest every seventh year and condition the soil. Farmers are paid by weight, not nutritional value. Global warming has nothing to do with it. How do I know this? We plant a garden every year and our tomatoes are great, along with everything else we grow. The difference is, I put nutrients back into the soil before using it again.
AW4cryinoutloud wrote on Apr 16, 2007 2:38 PM:To RCH: WOW!!!
Josh wrote on Apr 16, 2007 9:56 PM:So tell me again, what's the harm in trying to reduce our wasteful, polluting habits in order to help preserve the ecosystems that support every living thing on the planet?
RobertM wrote on Apr 16, 2007 10:15 PM:Suppose the global warming is true and the worst case scenarios occur. The next question is: So what?
RCH wrote on Apr 17, 2007 11:26 AM:Josh and Sharon; Nothing is wrong with trying to be responsible, but it is also not responsible to go to the extreme that these "Global Warming" fanatics are. I am not saying that either of you are in that catagory, it just gets old having it crammed down us everyday. I'm sure most of us do the best we can. When I do drive my truck I know it doesn't pollute that much because I run biodiesel in it. Sorry for the rant.
Didn't wrote on Apr 18, 2007 5:40 PM:Al Gore also invent the Internet? Be thankful and fall down in praise of Him who allows you to blog here.
RCH wrote on Apr 19, 2007 7:35 AM:I heard he(Gore) also invented the light bulb, the automobile, and the wheel.
First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.
Today's Stories
Advertisement