Carbon Offsets: Good, Bad And Ugly

The Good: With the swipe of a credit card, one can seemingly plant enough carbon-sequestering trees or add enough screws to a new wind turbine to offset the carbon produced by their long flights, vacations or commutes.

The Bad: If people don't actually change their lifestyles by consuming less and consuming more wisely, then offsets will do little to actually solve the problems associated with global warming.

The Ugly: Some carbon offsetting companies make dubious claims, and there is only now a growing third-party certification system to ensure that buyers are enriching the environment as much as they are the pockets of companies.

COMMENTS ()