Joga Bonito!
CNN reports (via Reuters): World Cup, Al Gore go 'carbon neutral' And it's not just Gore and FIFA. It's also the World Bank and HSBC, Europe's largest bank, and many other multinational institutions and corporations. The NFL even bought carbon offsets for the Super Bowl. Jack Groh, director of the National Football League's environment program (who knew?) tells Reuters: "If you only look at U.S. politics you miss how much the average person has a concern for these issues." Indeed.
Perhaps, like soccer, carbon trading is set to become the world's game.
5 Comments:
ole! ole! ole! ole!
soccer? you mean football.
si, futbol
not just FIFA and Gore...that's right: don't forget Leo and Brad
But is this just a salve for rich people's consciences? Do carbon offsets really accomplish anything?
Go Ghana, that's exactly the right question and for a substantive answer I'd refer you to this opinion ("Buying a stairway to heaven?" over at Realclimate.org). I recommend reading the whole thing, but here's the conclusion:
"I believe what we are looking at is a situation known as “low-hanging fruit”. If everyone in the U.S. decided to become carbon neutral, the price for doing it would rise, because the easy fixes would be used up. So the CO2 emission reductions achievable by purchasing of carbon offsets, at the low, low price of $99 per year, are almost by definition small relative to the overall scale of the problem. It would take more than $99 per American to prevent global warming; for that we will have to actually reduce our CO2 emissions. Carbon offsets cannot do it alone.
"Carbon offsets are beneficial in the meantime, however, because they do cut carbon emissions, and the money stimulates development of alternative energy technologies. The bottom line is, despite my deep initial skepticism, I now see how carbon offsets could actually work as advertised, enabling an individual to live a carbon-neutral life, even in the United States. This is a terrific idea. Sign me up!"
Finally, since the US is out, let me just say, Go, Ecuador!
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