ABOUT

Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Enviroblog is a project of EWG Action Fund. (More. . .)

FEED

 Subscribe in a Reader

Subscribe by Email

An EWG podcast for environmental health news on the go.

TWITTER UPDATES

TIPS

Did we miss something? Email Amanda.

BLOGROLL

STAY CONNECTED

Get our monthly eNewsletter, action alerts, & environmental tips. [Privacy policy, About EWG]

Confirmed: New shower curtain smell is gross

House bill would ban BPA in food, beverage packaging

Chemical injections in Colorado

FEATURED

BPA in your body: How to minimize your exposure

Caution: These 7 household items may feminize baby boys

BPA in infant formula: This is not a call to panic

Cheatsheet: Bisphenol A

7 ways to reduce your exposure to PBDEs

Your BPA questions, answered

Ask EWG

What is "fragrance"?

Which infant formula is best?

Is there eco-friendly jewelry?

Are stainless steel water bottles safe?

Is mineral-based makeup safer?

SEARCH

ARCHIVE

select month June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004

« A global warming quick fix? | Main | Ethanol 'not a silver bullet' »

March 26, 2007

First Class to Nairobi and 2 tons of carbon credits, please

The London papers are nailing the British diplomat whose job it is to lobby other countries to reduce global warming gases – but whose frequent-flier lifestyle produces a staggering 22.3 tons of carbon pollution a year, 30 times more than the average Brit's. John Ashton has racked up more than 80,000 air miles in 10 months on the job, flying to Washington, Nairobi, Tokyo and beyond "to engage with major developed and developing countries to drive forward the international response to climate change." The government said the trips were necessary and that all emissions were offset "as part of the department's commitment to become carbon neutral."

The jet-set world of the international envoy, tycoon and celebrity has been invaded by an inconvenient truth: Air travel produces vast amounts of global warming gases – up to 5 percent of all CO2, and three times as damaging as ground-level emissions. So what's an eco-conscious member of the Beautiful People to do?

Last month Hollywood not only gave Al Gore an Oscar, but proudly presented the first "carbon-neutral" Academy Awards. Business Week reports that "each performer and presenter received a glass statue representing the elimination of the amount of greenhouse gas associated with a celebrity lifestyle over the course of a year." The Motion Picture Academy purchased the carbon offsets from Terra Pass, a Silicon Valley startup that buys industrial emissions credits and then resells them to offset the greenhouse pollution of traveling (including daily commuting).

Sounds great, but it's checkbook environmentalism, no different than the indulgences popes once sold for permission to commit certain sins. You keep right on emitting the same amount of carbon; you just pay for the "right" to do so. You're a rock star or captain of industry, so you can afford it. But as always, you can't consume your way to sustainability: Business Week found that some Terra Pass credits come from polluting facilities that would have been required by law to clean up anyway. Let's not even mention the whole loathsome idea of emissions credits trading, which creates pollution markets and "rights" to pollute.

Here's a better idea: If you feel guilty about the global warming gases your lifestyle produces, change your lifestyle. Executives and government officials can make better use of video conferencing. Travelers should try to use trains and buses when possible. As for rock stars . . . Is another farewell tour of the Eagles worth all that hot air?

« A global warming quick fix? |