Gas Guzzlers find way to Heaven

[cynatnite]

But to help atone for that environmental sin, some drivers are turning to groups on the Internet that offer pain-free ways to assuage their guilt while promoting clean energy.

It involves buying something known as a carbon offset: a relatively inexpensive way to stimulate the production of clean electricity. Just go to one of several carbon-offset Web sites, calculate the amount of carbon dioxide produced when you drive, fly or otherwise burn fossil fuels, and then buy an offset that pays for an equivalent amount of clean energy.

Of course, emissions could be reduced the old-fashioned way — by flying less, turning off the air-conditioning or buying a more fuel-efficient car. But that would probably require some sacrifice and perhaps even a change in lifestyle. Instead, carbon-offset programs allow individuals to skip the sacrifice and simply pay for the right to pollute.

"To some extent, it's a way for people to buy their way into heaven," said Chip Giller, who is president of Grist.org, an online environmental magazine. "On the other hand, this is such a big macro problem that this is one of the few things people can do to really make a difference."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/22/nyregion/22guilt.html?hp&ex=1145764800&en=7a1b41cbdaa998fb&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[beam me up scottie]

1. Wow.

Take Biff Cuthbert. Running an organic clam farm for a few years taught him all about being green. But when he recently needed a new vehicle to haul musical equipment for his folk band, as well as his two Akita dogs, Mr. Cuthbert ignored his environmental conscience and bought a cream-colored 2004 Land Rover, which gets 12 miles to the gallon.

Feeling a pang of conscience about driving such a gas-guzzler, Mr. Cuthbert paid $79.95 to Terrapass.com, a group that helps finance non-polluting solar, wind and methane-driven energy projects. In exchange, he got a sticker for his windshield verifying that he is offsetting some of the 16,766 pounds of carbon dioxide his Land Rover will emit this year.

16,766 pounds ???

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund bought offsets to cover the amount of pollution produced by all 1,479 people who attended conferences at its Pocantico Conference Center in Westchester County last year. Ben & Jerry's buys enough offsets to cover its manufacturing and retail operations, and even the Rolling Stones have bought offsets to make their concerts carbon neutral. The whole idea is to cap, and eventually reduce, the amount of greenhouse gases produced in the United States. But with gasoline prices nearing $3 a gallon, getting people to shell out even more to drive can be easier said than done.

Recommended.

[NEOBuckeye]

2. It's still a cop out.

People are so damned addicted to their gas-guzzlers that they'll find anyway to justify them, rather than face the issue head-on and give them up.

[drm604]

3. Not necessarily a cop out.

I went to terrapass.com and bought more than enough to offset my economy car. (The smallest purchase available was more than I produce in a year since I use public transport for commuting.) Some amount of driving is a necessity for many people and even if you drive the most economical vehicle possible you still output some carbon (unless it's a bicycle). You don't have to be driving a gas guzzler to pay to offset your carbon output.

I'd be outputting that carbon whether I purchased the credits or not. The thing to do is to minimize your output by using appropriate transportation, then buying the credits to offset whatever amount you're still producing. This can be a good thing, don't poison it.