Carbon Credits: They're Getting Personal
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 12.14.06
In July, we wrote about British environment minister David Miliband's idea for a personal carbon credit card that would require UK citizens to account for their individual contributions of greenhouse gases. We used the word "radical" to describe the plan, but it turns out that government ministers are considering implementing it: a feasibility study of the concept was released on Tuesday. Coupled with news of the recent gathering at 10 Downing Street, we might conclude that the British government is turning its efforts against climate change and environmental degradation up a notch... or, at least, trying to create the appearance that they're tackling these issues.
Brits (and others) who don't want to wait the projected five years for government-issued carbon allowances may have another option. New Zealand firm Celsias bills itself as "...the world's first online community that allows regions, businesses or community groups to be paid for reducing the carbon emissions from their everyday energy use," and plans to take its carbon market concept live in early 2007. According to the company's press materials,
Businesses or communities can go online, enter their energy expenses each month, and the company they buy from, and the Celsias.com system will automatically calculate their total "carbon footprint," or how much carbon dioxide they are releasing into the atmosphere.The Celsias model looks an awful lot like the Chicago Climate Exchange, and we'll be very interested to see if a voluntary market for individuals and organizations takes off."You can create a carbon footprint for your home, your business, your community group or any other entity. You can then create carbon credits for yourself by learning how to reduce your energy use and by using our search service to find more energy-efficient products and services. You can then put your carbon credits on the Celsias.com trading system and when someone buys them, you get paid. It's that easy," explains [director Nick] Gerritsen.
In his new book Heat: How to Stop the Planet Burning, British environmental thinker and activist George Monbiot claims that some form of carbon rationing will be necessary to make a real dent in global emissions. Over the next few years, we'll be watching to see if this idea takes hold, and what model (public, private, or some variation thereof) becomes the norm for individual's taking responsibility for their carbon footprint. ::The Birmingham Post via Hoover's
My favorite personal carbon offset provider is the Carbon Neutral Club of the Solar Electric Light Fund (self.org). For $10 you can offset one ton of carbon by funding a micro-loan for a 3rd worlder to buy solar charged lighting to replace kerosine lighting. Since burning kerosine causes childhood respiratory disease, you not only offset your own carbon use and bring a little light to someone who needs it but also support entrepreneurship and save a kid from a preventable sickness. And it's a permanent offset, unlike tree-planting, where the carbon is re-released when the tree dies and decays.
Hi -I have a 10,000ha property in QLD Australa with about 1million trees [estimate] and would like to help the environment with carbon credits.Would your site like to be involved with making carbon credits available to offset the negative affects of living on our planet.I would like to manage the prevention of fires and help in other aspects for a better environment.
If there is a problem, purchasing these fake "credits" or "offsets" is not going to do squat.
Wake up and see the light.
Hi my name is matt and I have land with existing trees approx 5000 and I am trying to work out how to calculate the carbon credits for these trees, can someone please advise me on how to do this
Regards
Matt
Personal carbon credits combine the act of consuming with a reminder that every action has an environmental impact. Big businesses are striving for greener images, so let them use there economical power to find greener solutions. Directing money towards CDM projects creates an economy for Co2 reduction, and much needed 'green' industry to places like India, Africa, and China.
Sir John Houghton, the former co-chairman of the IPCC talks about the green wave in consumerism in an interview with GoCarbonFree.com, and says "I have often thought the taxation route is the simplest method to reach emissions targets. However, perhaps we need more than one route forward and a combination of a cap and trade and taxation would be best "
Personal Carbon Credits use a cap and trade system, but act as a tax to businesses. Consumers can demand that there purchases be offset by the retailers and use their purchasing power to reduce Co2. On a large scale the reduction of Co2 could be enormous. Personal Carbon Credits already exist at GoCarbonFree.com. The site uses 50% earnings towards buying Gold Standard Eligible carbon credits, and the shareholders do not take any dividends.