Who thinks buying carbon footprint offsets really helps the environment?

Question

I'm bothered by the fact that wealthy spokespeople for the environment seem to believe that they are helping the environment by buying carbon footprint offsets. That's great that they can pay to allegedly compensate for their lifestyles, but aren't you pissed off that they can keep flying their jets to attend press conferences to tell the "rest of us" to cut back our lifestyles? If they are so committed, don't you think they should change their lifestyles vs. just opening their wallets?

Answer 1

I agree that the wealthy, even more than most people, should do their best to reduce their carbon footprint. And the wealthy environmental advocates should do the most of all.

But carbon offsets really ARE an effective way to reduce greenhouse gases. The biggest obstacle to implementing new technologies like wind and solar power is the cost. And carbon offsets provide the funding that is needed to build expensive renewable energy projects. So buying a carbon offset is not just something on paper. It is actually avoiding greenhouse gas emissions that would have occurred otherwise. Ironically, some of the people who criticize the use of carbon offsets are the same people who would normally support this type of private market-based solution.

Answer 2

And your contribution is to deter people from being concerned? Bush flies in a changed 747 to get under one hundred people around. the place is the proceedings against that? And what does he do to attempt to extend information of the arriving disaster? And what approximately all those delivery planes carring greater adult adult males to their dying, and the comparable delivery planes getting back from Iraq with the our bodies. the place is the outcry approximately that? And your greatest criticism is that greater people do not hate Al Gore? Wow -- united statesa. at this is maximum excellent!

Answer 3

Of course it won't help the environment. That's not the point. The purpose of offsets is to make money for people like Al Gore.