You’re traveling by air to Australia, but you’re conscious of the environmental damage caused by jets, so you spend an extra few bucks on offsets to balance out your carbon footprint. Good deed done, you’re on your way. Is it that easy? Not really, according to a USA Today story by Barbara De Lollis, who examines the effectiveness of offsetting projects such as planting trees and discusses who stands to profit from your green consciousness. Yes, some of these companies are out to make money from selling offsets to travelers.
There’s also the question of regulation. “There’s no widely accepted certification for offsetters. No ‘seal of approval,’ “ Michael Gillenwater, a Princeton University climate policy researcher, tells De Lollis. “No one knows what to trust.”
And even the projects with the best intentions can run into troubles. De Lollis writes: “Coldplay discovered the risks the hard way. Many of the 10,000 mango tree saplings financed by Coldplay fans and planted in India four years ago withered due to neglect.”
Photo by el7bara (Flickr, Creative Commons)
Related on World Hum:
* Are Cheap Airline Flights a Blessing or a Horror? Or Both?
* KLM Introduces Sustainable Coffee on Flights, Faces Greenwashing Charges
* Airplanes and Climate Change: The Guardian’s Week-Long Debate
* Can Slow Travel Save the Planet?
* Should Travel Writers Discourage Flying to Reduce Global Warming?
