Looks like the green movement learned something from the Catholics...

[tagryn]

via American Digest, the clever analogy that carbon offsetting schemes are the modern-day version of the medieval Catholic indulgences. Pollute all you like, just as long as you buy enough carbon offsets to assuage that guilt. Well, if it works for Al Gore, right?...

Comments

[erikred.livejournal.com]

Al Gore bought carbon offsets to assuage his guilt? Cite, please.

Carbon offsets could possibly do some good _if_ real caps and penalties are assessed in the first place and companies are not left to "volunteer" for the program. The business of business is business, which is why regulation is not the scum-sucking commie evil business would have us believe.

[tagryn]

Al Gore bought carbon offsets to assuage his guilt? Cite, please.

Hi Erik,

Via the cite for Gore in the post, from Snopes:

Kalee Kreider, a spokesperson for the Gores, pointed out that both Al and Tipper Gore work out of their home and she argued that "the bottom line is that every family has a different carbon footprint. And what Vice President Gore has asked is for families to calculate that footprint and take steps to reduce and offset it." ...The vice president has done that, Kreider argues, and the family tries to offset that carbon footprint by purchasing their power through the local Green Power Switch program — electricity generated through renewable resources such as solar, wind, and methane gas, which create less waste and pollution. "In addition, they are in the midst of installing solar panels on their home, which will enable them to use less power," Kreider added. "They also use compact fluorescent bulbs and other energy efficiency measures and then they purchase offsets for their carbon emissions to bring their carbon footprint down to zero."

(emphasis added)
As for guilt, I can't look into anyone's soul and say whether that's the reason or not. Successful politicians generally don't seem to be bothered by that emotion, however. 8)

[erikred.livejournal.com]

Apologies, Tom, I need to work on those critical reading skills.

That said, given all of the other things they do to reduce their carbon footprint (and loathe as I am to speculate on the good that one family's reduced carbon footprint may do in the face of the overwhelming contributions from industry), don't you think it's a wee bit specious to imply that buying carbon offsets (apples) is somehow assuaging their guilt at using more energy than the average American household (oranges)? If buying carbon offsets was all they were doing, I'd agree with you that their efforts are ineffectual at best, but since they're coupling that with switching to other renewable energy sources, I'd say they're practicing what they're preaching.