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July 25, 2008 8:37:50 AM CDT

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The Carbon Crunch track this thread

Started by H Needles; Last updated Feb 15, 08 5:40 AM CST by D Lim | View history

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The Carbon Crunch

"Thank God men cannot fly, and lay waste the sky as well as the earth." -Henry David Thoreau

More and more people, small businesses and large, gas-guzzling companies are becoming hip to carbon emissions offsets and carbon-neutral lifestyles. But are carbon offsets really worth the hype? And what exactly are they offsetting?

Stories

Stories 1 - 20 of 21

<< Prev 1 2 Next >>
  • July 2008

    • McCain Flips on Emissions Standards

      newser  |  Detroit News  |  Jul 18, 08 3:37 PM CDT

      McCain Flips on Emissions Standards

      John McCain seemed to flip-flop on auto-emissions standards today, telling a group of General Motors engineers he supported states’ rights to set their own levels, the Detroit News reports. McCain told the newspaper last month he supported a nationwide standard. Automakers support a national standard because they fear the expense of catering to different restrictions in different states. More »

  • June 2008

    • High Gas Prices Are Good for Detroit

      newser  |  Wall Street Journal  |  Jun 9, 08 12:25 PM CDT

      High Gas Prices Are Good for Detroit

      Sky-high gas prices are finally pushing top US auto-makers to turn out fuel-efficient vehicles, and both Detroit and Washington should keep the pedal down to make a permanent change in how, and what, Americans drive, the US top car salesman tells the Wall Street Journal . "You have to tell the American people the truth," the CEO of AutoNation says. "Energy costs will be higher."  More »

  • May 2008

    • Global Warming Deniers Plan 'Carbon Belch Day'

      newser  |  InformationWeek  |  May 29, 08 2:40 PM CDT

      Global Warming Deniers Plan 'Carbon Belch Day'

      Americans should waste all the energy they can on June 12, says conservative grassroots group Grassfire.org, in order to free themselves from “carbon footprint guilt.” Grassfire doesn’t believe humanity is to blame for global warming, and wants to strike back against “climate alarmists.” Organizers suggest having a barbecue, going for a drive, leaving the lights on, and/or smoking a cigar. More »

    • W. Coast Cities Boast Smallest Carbon Footprint

      newser  |  New York Times  |  May 29, 08 11:02 AM CDT

      W. Coast Cities Boast Smallest Carbon Footprint

      West Coast metro areas boasted some of the lowest carbon emissions per capita in the country in 2005, according to a ranking of 100 urban areas by the Brookings Institution. Honolulu topped the list, followed by Los Angeles, the Portland-Vancouver area, and New York. Population density, mild climates, and aggressive energy-reduction policies got credit for the smaller footprints. More »

  • April 2008

    • Greenies Find God Might Be the Answer

      newser  |  Politico  |  Apr 15, 08 11:56 AM CDT

      Greenies Find God Might Be the Answer

      How much carbon would Jesus use? Not much, say the religious communities now teaming with environmentalists to lobby Capitol Hill. As a carbon-capping bill approaches the Senate, eco-advocates hope that church partnerships will re-frame the debate, and religious leaders rail against the desecration of divine creation and the suffering of the poor coping with energy costs and food shortages. More »

    • Gas-Guzzlers Will Cost Londoners $50 a Day

      newser  |  Los Angeles Times  |  Apr 3, 08 11:39 AM CDT

      Gas-Guzzlers Will Cost Londoners $50 a Day

      In a move to make drivers of gas-guzzlers “pay for the environmental damage they cause,” London’s mayor is imposing a CO2 charge: beginning in October, every private vehicle driven in the central city that doesn’t meet tough emissions standards will cost its owners $50 a day, the Los Angeles Times reports. The new charge comes on top of the existing $16 congestion charge. More »

  • February 2008

    • Texas Tops US in CO2 Emissions

      newser  |  Newsweek  |  Feb 29, 08 3:35 PM CST

      Texas Tops US in CO2 Emissions

      Texas—the land of big oil, big agriculture, pickup trucks, wide-open spaces, and little mass transit—not only is the biggest emitter of CO2 among states, it ranks eighth in the world, a new study says. It’s also one of the few states without any climate plan in the works. "Oil companies run the show,” an activist tells Newsweek. More »

    • Gore to Investors: Ditch Guzzlers

      newser  |  Associated Press  |  Feb 15, 08 7:36 AM CST

      Gore to Investors: Ditch Guzzlers

      Nobel prize-winner Al Gore yesterday urged financial leaders at a United Nations conference in Manhattan to unload their investments in businesses reliant on carbon-intensive energy. Gore likened such investments to the subprime mortgage market, warning that "the assumption you can safely invest" in business models that assume carbon is free is "about to go splat," AP reports. More »

    • Bishops' Bright Idea: Give Up Carbon for Lent

      newser  |  BBC  |  Feb 5, 08 12:05 PM CST

      Bishops' Bright Idea: Give Up Carbon for Lent

      For many Christians, Lent is a time to forgo chocolate or ice cream, but two senior British bishops have a better idea: “fasting” away your carbon footprint. “The poor are already suffering the effects of climate change,” says Liverpool’s bishop. “To carry on regardless of their plight is to fly in the face of Christian teaching.” More »

  • January 2008

    • Fuzzy Math on Carbon Footprints

      USA Today  |  Jan 30, 08

      Admit it. At one time or another, you've been guilty of taking an unnecessary trip that wasted energy, generated pollution, and helped contribute to global warming. In fact, it's probably safe to say that until recently very few among us considered the fate of the planet when making our travel plans%u2014price and convenience, sure, but not fuel burn. However, when it comes to recklessly disregarding our carbon footprints, I doubt you're as guilty as I am. After all, I once sent an empty Boeing 727 on a 184-mile journey.

    • House's $89K in Carbon Offsets Do Virtually Nothing

      newser  |  Washington Post  |  Jan 28, 08 3:14 PM CST

      House's $89K in Carbon Offsets Do Virtually Nothing

      Whatever the good intentions were, the $89,000 the House of Representatives spent on carbon offsets doesn’t seem to have done much, the Washington Post reports. Most of the money went to fund programs that were going on anyway or had already ended. “It demonstrated why offsets are controversial and possibly pointless,” said one environmental activist. “This is a waste of taxpayer money.” More »

    • Value of US House's Carbon Offsets Is Murky

      Washington Post  |  Jan 28, 08

      The House of Representatives has presumably learned that money cannot buy love or happiness. Now, it turns out it's not a sure solution to climate guilt, either.

    • Becks' Carbon Footprint Bigger Than His Cleats

      newser  |  Fox News  |  Jan 24, 08 2:00 PM CST

      Becks' Carbon Footprint Bigger Than His Cleats

      David Beckham may bend it on the pitch; off it, he might have broken records with the largest carbon footprint ever, Fox Sports reports. British environmental group Carbon Trust analyzed the output of Becks' travel and homes, finding the soccer star responsible for 163 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The Carbon Trust puts an average Briton's yearly use at 9.4 tons. More »

    • He Can Stop Terror; Carbon's Another Story

      newser  |  New Republic  |  Jan 24, 08 8:39 AM CST

      He Can Stop Terror; Carbon's Another Story

      Fox's 24 has its share of problems—Kiefer Sutherland's DUI imprisonment, rewritten scripts, the writers strike—but one writer still won’t give Jack Bauer a break, hitting the set to probe the show’s promise to reduce its carbon footprint. One exec congratulates himself on picking “our toughest show” for the green challenge—but the New Republic 's Amanda Fortini has mixed feelings. More »

    • Electronics Show Struggles to Green Up

      newser  |  Washington Post  |  Jan 5, 08 10:27 AM CST

      Electronics Show Struggles to Green Up

      The massive Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which kicks off Monday, is trying to beat its seriously "ungreen" rep by buying carbon offsets for the equivalent of 2.3 million gallons of gasoline it takes to power the extravaganza, the size of 35 football fields. It will also showcase energy-saving products, TVs with fewer toxic chemicals, and recycled cellphones, the Washington Post reports. More »

  • November 2007

    • Program Tracks Web's CO2 Emissions

      newser  |  San Jose Mercury News  |  Nov 16, 07 5:43 PM CST

      Program Tracks Web's CO2 Emissions

      If you're reading this, you're contributing to climate change. That's the message of two PhD students who have created a widget to calculate how much carbon dioxide Web sites generate. Operators can download and install the free program on their sites and then buy an equivalent amount of carbon offsets, reports the San Jose Mercury News . More »

  • September 2007

    • Do Carbon 'Offsets' Really Offset Anything?

      newser  |  Los Angeles Times  |  Sep 2, 07 4:09 PM CDT

      Do Carbon 'Offsets' Really Offset Anything?

      Everyone from Al Gore to Coldplay has jumped on the carbon offset bandwagon, but the Los Angeles Times reports that their payments don’t actually make the air any cleaner. Here's how they work: "Offset” companies invest in existing clean energy and win the right to sell “reductions” in their name. When greenies pay up, they're only buying emission-less energy that would have been running anyway.    More »

  • July 2007

    • Live Earth Fights Warming, Skepticism

      newser  |  Guardian (UK)  |  Jul 7, 07 8:29 AM CDT

      Live Earth Fights Warming, Skepticism

      Today's concert in Sydney kicks off the 24-hour Live Earth series, which puts over 100 acts on stages on seven continents to fight climate change. Along with raising awareness, the concerts are raising eyebrows at  the hypocrisy of using jet-setting rockers as role models for reducing greenhouse gases, and questions about how much environmental harm the shows themselves will create. More »

  • June 2007

    • China's CO2 Output Passes US

      newser  |  BBC  |  Jun 20, 07 5:25 AM CDT

      China's CO2 Output Passes US

      China has overtaken the US as the world's biggest CO2 emitter. A Dutch study says China is coughing up 9% more fossil fuel into the air than last year, compared with a 1.4% increase from the superpower across the Pacific. And the trend is up: China's industry is growing so fast, it's building two new power stations a week to meet energy demands. More »

  • April 2007

    • Carbon Offsets Are Often Scams

      newser  |  Financial Times (UK)  |  Apr 26, 07 7:56 PM CDT

      Carbon Offsets Are Often Scams

      Carbon offsets—the credits gas-guzzling consumers buy to cancel out their carbon production—may do little or nothing more than assuage consciences, a Financial Times investigation concludes. Some companies sell worthless credits; others use them to finance environmental projects they had planned anyway. And consumers have no means to know when they're getting scammed. More »

Stories 1 - 20 of 21

<< Prev 1 2 Next >>
Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore speaks at the Climate Change Forum, organized by DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural affairs) at Lancaster House in central London, Thursday June 21, 2007....   (Associated Press)
Fergie of U.S. band the Black Eyed Peas performs on stage during the British leg of the Live Earth concerts at London's Wembley Stadium, Saturday July 7, 2007. This concert is part of a series of events,...   (Associated Press)
Greenpeace activists carry a giant tableaux of a carbon dioxide spewing dragon during a campaign at Kuta beach, Bali, Indonesia Monday, June, 4, 2007. Greenpeace protested against coal industry gathering...   (Associated Press)
Sunflower Electric Cooperative's coal-fired power plant churns out electricity in this Friday, Feb. 2, 2007 file photo in Holcomb, Kan. Sunflower and state lawmakers are vowing to challenge the rejection...   (Associated Press)
England captain David Beckham and coach Sven Goran Eriksson step off the plane as the England team arrive back from the FIFA World Cup Finals at Heathrow Airport, in London on June 22, 2002. DIGITAL IMAGE....   (Getty Images)
A truck delivers trash to a landfill gas utilization facility in Hong Kong Friday, Jan. 25, 2008. The Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department joined forces with a local gas company to build the...   (Associated Press)
A forest in the Adirondack Mountains is seen from the Tongue Mountain Range in the Town of Bolton, N.Y., Tuesday, May 15, 2007. People worried about global warming increasingly are trying to "offset"...   (Associated Press)
A factory in the UK is seen in this undated file photo. Two prominent bishops are urging British citizens to trim their carbon emissions for Lent, this year.   (Shutterstock.com)
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Ed Begley Jr. on Terrapass carbon offsets   (terrapass (YouTube))

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Related Threads

Climate Change  •  Environment  •  Going Green  •  Al Gore  •  Energy  •  Gas Gets Pumped Up  •  Auto Industry  •  Celebs Misbehaving  •  China  •  Consumer Electronics

Background

Buy a carbon offset
TerraPass

TerraPass carbon offsets fund clean energy and other projects that result in direct, measurable reductions in carbon emissions.

» Read more about Buy a carbon offset at TerraPass

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