« Holland Exports Abortion | Main | Armed Moonbat Matthew Hunter Kramer Assaults Nevada Republican Headquarters »
April 25, 2007
Surprise! Carbon Offsets Are a Scam
It's okay that conspicuously rich moonbats like Al Gore create massive carbon footprints while demanding that the rest of us relocate to the Stone Age, because they wash away their sins against Gaia by buying eco-indulgences — aka carbon offsets. But to the surprise of no one with a triple-digit IQ, it is becoming increasingly obvious that carbon offsets are a scam. Some findings of a Financial Times investigation:
• Widespread instances of people and organisations buying worthless credits that do not yield any reductions in carbon emissions.
• Industrial companies profiting from doing very little — or from gaining carbon credits on the basis of efficiency gains from which they have already benefited substantially.
• Brokers providing services of questionable or no value.
• A shortage of verification, making it difficult for buyers to assess the true value of carbon credits.
• Companies and individuals being charged over the odds for the private purchase of European Union carbon permits that have plummeted in value because they do not result in emissions cuts.
Francis Sullivan is the environment adviser at HSBC, Britain's biggest bank, which presumably for publicity reasons went "carbon-neutral" in 2005. He's been studying the carbon offsets market for months, and concludes:
The police, the fraud squad and trading standards need to be looking into this.
Maybe the Goracle and friends had better lay low for awhile.
Posted by Van Helsing at April 25, 2007 9:21 PM
Comments
Carbon credits a hoax?
If they're not worth the paper they're printed on, maybe we can use those when Sheryl Crow's (it's just a joke) TP prohibition comes into effect.
Posted by: El Presidente at April 26, 2007 12:19 AM
In other ManBearPig news, Hundreds of Ships are stranded in ice in the North Atlantic.
Remember a couple of years ago when the Gaiaists were hysterically screeching that because of ManBearPig, the North Pole no longer froze over?
Posted by: V the K at April 26, 2007 2:27 AM
Posted by: V the K at April 26, 2007 5:31 AM
I am shocked. SHOCKED I tell you! SHOCKED!!
Sheesh - next thing you know, they'll decide global warming is a hoax. Hmmphfftt!
Posted by: Jimbo at April 26, 2007 6:01 AM
Doesn't matter. The Goracle will get a pass due to innumerable enviroweenies here and abroad who have deified his Lardship. The truth rarely matters to liberals when power is in the balance.
Posted by: skh.pcola at April 26, 2007 6:12 AM
I'm with Jimbo. SHOCKED beyond all imagination! I trusted Algore, along with his glitterati pals. If you can't trust Bill Clinton's former VP, who can you trust?
Posted by: Pam at April 26, 2007 7:00 AM
"The police, the fraud squad and trading standards need to be looking into this."
The companies that sell these indulgences know what they're doing. I doubt that most moonbats actually read the terms and conditions of the contracts. Take the TerraPass for instance. They can delay their obligation ("performance") for any reason. Thus if you take them to court for not actually fulfilling their contract you will lose. They didn't fail to perform, they merely delayed performance.
Some of the fine print at TerraPass:
"The Company shall not be liable to the Customer in any manner or be deemed to be in breach of these Conditions of Sale because of any delay in performing or any failure to perform any of the Company's obligations under these Conditions of Sale if the delay or failure was due to any cause beyond the Company's reasonable control (which shall include, but not be limited to government actions, war, fire, explosion, flood, acts of terrorism, import or export regulations or embargoes, labor disputes or inability to obtain or a delay in obtaining supplies of Goods or labor). The Company may, at its option, delay the performance of, or cancel the whole or any part of a Contract."
Posted by: kevin at April 26, 2007 8:08 AM
OT: Terrorist Lawyer Lynne Stewart is Disbarred.
I'm sure there's a cushy teaching job at Columbia waiting for her.
Posted by: V the K at April 26, 2007 8:15 AM
And if not, she could always model for "before" shots for Jenny Craig.
Posted by: Jay Guevara at April 26, 2007 9:16 AM
The jig is up Al.
The Goreacle(and his idiotic enviro-ideology) reached a fevered apex at the Acadamy Awards. Now, drunk on his perceived popularity and bullet-proofness, he's overplayed his hand. The backlash is beginning as regular, intelligent Americans are stopping to ask, "What the hell"?
I'll tell you what the hell. Al Gore is a scam artist and only witless hollywood goobers are buying his schtick anymore. Thank goodness.
Posted by: Ed at April 26, 2007 9:32 AM
Well, you beat me to the punch on that one, Van Helsing. I didn't see this story until the paper was distributed this morning. Oh well. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I'm getting in on the profitable side of the Green Gold Rush.
Posted by: the paperboy at April 26, 2007 9:38 AM
Wouldn't it be ironic if the carbon offset fraudsters were prosecuted under "Blue Sky" laws?
chsw
Posted by: chsw at April 26, 2007 7:40 PM
The article you linked provided another link to an article entitled "A Guide to Good Carbon Offsetting." Thanks for the help.
Posted by: Molly at April 30, 2007 1:48 PM
