Courtesy of G: The Green Lifestyle Magazine
Until Pope Pius V outlawed the practice in 1567, Roman Catholics could obtain absolution for any conceivable sin just by giving the church money in exchange for an indulgence. The corrupt trade in indulgences helped spark the Protestant Reformation, and buying carbon offsets, says the British environmentalist George Monbiot, are little better than a modern form of this antiquated practice.
"Today you can live exactly as you please as long as you give your [money] to one of the companies selling indulgences ... By selling us a clean conscience, the offset companies are undermining the necessary political battle to tackle climate change at home," he wrote in The Guardian newspaper.
Monbiot is not the only one with reservations. "People want to do the right thing about climate change but they're not sure what they can do," says Greenpeace's Pearson, "so it's attractive when someone comes along and says, 'If you give me $20 I'll offset all your emissions'. People think, 'I can continue driving my car and just buy carbon offsets'."
And it is true; nearly all offset companies allow you to offset as much as you want: car and plane trips, home energy usage and even things such the impact of meat in your diet, all without making any behavioural changes.
Climate Friendly, for example, offers a "citizen" package on their website; for $616 per year, an Australian can offset all 28 tonnes of their contribution to global carbon emissions. However, says Fleming, the idea behind the package is that people can make a major impact immediately and then make the necessary behavioural changes over the following months.
Although his company offers comprehensive offsets as well, Condon thinks that behavioural change must be the first step. "I think that offsets can play a part in a climate protection strategy, but they cannot be used as a mini license to pollute. We must reduce our footprint dramatically before we offset," he says. "At Climate Positive we're very clear; we want passionate partners in reducing global warming; not passive consumers of a product."
Courtesy of G Magazine
