What is a carbon credit and what do they do? I am not understanding the purpose or what it is. Can anyone explain? Namaste, BB
A carbon credit (or otherwise referred to as a carbon offset) is equivalent to 1 ton of CO2 equivalent (i.e. could be SF6 or NOx but they are all converted to CO2 equivalents). Under the Kyoto Protocol, each nation (and in turn each company) is allocated a certain amount of credits allowing them the right to pollute into the atmosphere as measured against a base year. The natural by-product of business creates pollution and everyone recognizes that cannot be stopped immediately. The Kyoto Protocol, reduces the amount of credits allotted to countries/companies over time (through 2012) so that there is a goal of reducing the overall level of greenhouse gases emitted (despite the fact that plant and equipment is getting older and GDP is expanding). Businesses and countries are permitted to trade these credits between each other as the UN does not care if one party is a large offender and the other party is less of an offender since it is simply the global level of pollutants that matters. As such, these credits have economic value as a tradeable commodity. This is the so-called Cap and Trade model. Credits are able to be created by ANYONE who does an environmentally friendly project that reduces man-made greenhouse gases and gets their methodology approved by the United Nations. Examples of which are planting forests, farming methane gas from landfills, patching Gas pipelines from leaking, capping SF6, etc. The emissions that would otherwise be generated into the atmosphere are measured and 1 credit is issued for each ton of CO2 otherwise saved. These credits are now tradeable to companies in Kyoto countries (the compliance markets) and they are tradeable in non-Kyoto countries such as the US under the Voluntary Market (VERs). The net effect is that there is a Cap and a reduction of the overall level of greenhouse gas emissions mandated under the Kyoto Protocol through 2012 (which will get renewed). Entrepreneurs/developers can create credits that have economic value by engaging in environmentally friendly projects (this is usually very profitable as companies would often rather purchase pollution rights rather than upgrade plant and equipment or reduce business). Net, net, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced under the capital markets cap and trade approach. Those that do the projects get paid (and often rich) for doing these projects, companies view them as a cost of doing business which essentially amounts to a pollution tax and individuals (or companies) buy them in the Voluntary market to do their part to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions or for the positive public relations effect of branding their businesses carbon neutral or green. Make sense?
this is a load a crap of all time...since the Romans send me money and you can pollute guilt free...hahahha what a load..
Send them money to work to offset the pollution you are creating and then some. Kyoto mandates reductions in pollution by 2012 and it will get renewed. The overall level is coming down. You cannot pollute guilt free, you have to pay to pollute. Like a pollution tax. Remember, the more you pollute the more money you pay. You have a better suggestion? It worked for acid rain.
I have a better suggestion. Don't Screw People. The evidence is quite apparent that C02 is not the culprit, The Sun Is. I know it might be hard for some of you geniuses out there. But the Sun is a Big Ball of Fire, Fire is hot, Sunfire warms the earth. Global Warming crybabies want nothing more than to control the lives of people. Get the masses in shoebox cars, turn off their air conditioners, The huddled masses submit while the rich elite change nothing. They buy carbon credits from companies they own, oh how caring they are. And then the best argument they have is "What if we are right" What if? What if you are wrong can all the innocent people who thought they were doing the right thing because they were lied to time and again by people they look up to? Will they get a full refund for all the Snakeoil offsets they bought. I would not think so. Remember the Ice Age of the 70's and the Dead Ocean in the 80's
what is wrong with cleaning up the earth regardless of global warming? clean air, water and earth are good things that are made possible by funding via c credits. seriously, turn off maharishi rushbo and get outside some. clean air courtesy of the free market, what could be better? surf
There is nothing wrong with reducing pollution. The problem is lying to people in order to make them feel guilty about how they live their life. Then all they have to do is buy a credit and all your sins are forgiven. Predatory selling. There are lots of things people can do to reduce pollution. But, giving money to people who "Claim" to care and "Claim" to plant a tree, is no solution. Like I said in previous posts, if this is the answer then encourage people to buy stock in the companies that are selling the offsets to raise money to invest in alternative fuels. Seems to me like a few people are getting rich off a lot of peoples guilt.
So now carbon is considered toxic. Brilliant. Ever heard of "carbon-based lifeform?" That's us! And we exhale carbon dioxide; the last time I checked that meant one carbon atom and TWO oxygen atoms per molecule. Therefore we need to take action immediately: I have just made the breakthrough discovery that oxygen is precisely TWICE as plentiful in our guilt-ridden "greenhouse gas" exhalations. Oxygen offsets to the rescue!! Seriously, this lunacy must end. Although I am thankful I possess the intellect to see through this global warming BS (see today's IBD for a great editorial on the subject) I am painfully aware that most on this planet do not. The masses will generally eat what they are fed. Protests will be bulldozed by repitition via bought-and-paid-for liberal media outlets (i.e. 98% of TV, radio, & newspapers). Witness how "global warming" has quietly morphed into "climate change." Shit, they have no clue what long-term trends the earth has undergone temperature-wise. The world has been cooling off since 1998, yet global warming somehow explains global cooling. Insanity. No, fellow readers, the real point of all this is control. Control over you by parting you from your freedom and your money. The ludicrous concept of "individual carbon credit offsets" (I can't beleive I even typed it) is a stepping stone to marrying the concept of human life with evil and guilt. Yes, simply by BREATHING and driving an automobile we are GUILTY of DESTROYING our precious "environment." This wacked out perspective devalues human life and prioritizes every other organic and inanimate object on the planet higher than that of human beings. Once it becomes unamimous that simply by being alive we are destroying you'll have the next iteration delivered by the 535 asshats in DC: a friggin' personal carbon tax. After the compulsory tax you will have even more restrictions placed on how you live your life. It only gets worse. Please, please make THINKING (not emotion, compassion or feelings) the final arbitor of how you proceed in this world before you walk into the traps so carefully laid by the elite and the politicians. The cutesy carbon credit idea is but one example of how they want to take us there.
I think it's all a big friggin con.....plant some grass in your backyard, put up a couple of trees, put some plants in your house.