The Great Carbon Offset Myth
Sunday, March 9th, 2008
by Greg Hardwick
Why drive when you can fly and arrive in only a fraction of the time? How else are you going to visit that far away destination other than by the comfort of an aircraft?
With air travel being more affordable, more people are choosing to fly. As a result, air travel is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases. “Globally the world’s 16,000 commercial jet aircraft generate more than 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.”
Due to greater awareness of climate change, we are now seeing a host of ‘carbon-offset’ programs. We are also witnessing the rise of so called ‘carbon neutral events’ whereby we are told that the carbon produced in traveling to the event or powering a venue is offset by, for example, the planting of trees in some far off country.
In a sense, these carbon-offset programs are allowing us to continue doing what we’re doing. They are positives steps. But are they also just a quick superficial fix so we can feel good about ourselves? Should we be less willing to donate money and more willing to change our lifestyles? (more…)