Carbon Offsets

Summer is here. Those people not finishing up dissertations will be taking vacations. More than last year, folks will hit the roads, rails and flight paths en route to fun. Also, more than last year, there will be increased carbon offset purchasing. The standard scheme involves planting mango trees in India or something to satisfy consumptive lifestyle-choices. Thanks to the movie stars, it's all the rage.

The last few months have seen an increase of more critical stories about this activity. (See an earlier post I made, too.) The metaphor of atonement is a good one. If we ask forgiveness, but don't change our ways, have we really been sincere? Planting trees is just a stop-gap. If you want to offset your carbon load, think about reducing it in the first place.

Okay, enough with the preaching... Have a nice remainder of your holiday!