Torsten Posted April 22, 2007 Haven't had time to investigate the gimmick factor of this program, but given some of the other ethical social programs virgin runs I have high hopes that this is actually of substance. I just purchased a ticket for a friend and at the end of check out was offered to offset my carbon emissions. For a mere $1.50 I could eliminate something like 120 kilos of carbon which is what my flight was rated at. Small price to pay even if it isn't a 100% solid scheme. Will do more research into it next time I am bored. http://www.virginblue.com.au/carbonoffset/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wisemonkey Posted May 15, 2007 I had a quick look through the projects, most seemed ok. Some included maintaining carbon sinks, some included programs such as changing light-bulbs etc. My problem with this sort of thing is that often these programs do little to pull carbon out of the atmosphere, and some such as changing the light-bulbs still allow for growth in emissions while claiming to be reducing them. The idea of being able to buy the right to pollute has some fundamental flaws however it is probably an inevitable first step towards drastic emissions reduction. There are opportunities to engage in ecological restoration as well as offset carbon, but whether this kind of program will ultimately slow down or speed up the transition to a low carbon economy is yet to be seen. There are other companies not registered on the Australian Government scheme(and anything endorsed by the feds related to climate makes me suspicious) which offer some good offset systems. A lot of what these systems sell is guilt avoidance, but we must find out when purchasing what checks and balances are in place to ensure that what we pay for is actually reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and not just trusting that somebody will install those light-bulbs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Reamers Posted May 16, 2007 Maybe I'm just cynical but I found this comic on carbon offsets pretty funny.... http://images.salon.com/comics/boll/2007/0.../boll/story.gif I do think that its promising that big companies are starting to look at their environmental impact though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
