Grist | Topics | 100 Results

RESULTS		Results 51 – 75 of 100
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Headline	Author	Published	Section
Trees They're not going to save us	David Roberts	10 Aug 2007	Gristmill
Oh well, it was a nice thought: A decade-long experiment led by Duke University scientists indicates that trees provide little help in offsetting increased levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Note to the hordes of indignant commenters lunging for the CAPS LOCK key: this does not mean trees are worthless. Trees do many wonderful things. They're like ponies and ice cream, only awesomer. I'm going to go hug one as soon as I'm done with this post. Yay for tree ...
Topics: carbon offsets, carbon sequestration, climate, climate change mitigation (all these topics)

Desert Flowers Legendary Burning Man festival gets an eco-conscience	Judith Lewis	03 Aug 2007	Main Dish
Armen Zeitounian leads the way up the staircase of the house he's living in, a two-story colonial nestled in the smoggy hills north of Los Angeles, complete with a view and a pool and a black Ford Explorer in the driveway. In a room on the top floor, a two-by-six-inch plank, painted white, protrudes about five feet through a hole halfway up the wall; in the next room, the other half of the plank emer ...
Topics: art, carbon offsets, climate, climate change impacts, climate change mitigation, green living, Nevada, recycling (all these topics)

A Biospherian weighs in on offsets Having survived Biosphere, she's ready to enter the offset debate	JMG	01 Aug 2007	Gristmill
A summary overview / intro to offsets by a woman who was one of the Biospherians.
Topics: carbon offsets, climate, energy (all these topics)

Rule three of offsets: No geo-engineering Smacking down a bad idea	Joseph Romm	27 Jul 2007	Gristmill
I know you've all been eagerly waiting for this (don't worry, I don't have many more rules). I got sidetracked by last week's offset hearing. Offset projects should deliver climate benefits with high confidence -- that's a key reason trees make lousy offsets, especially non-urban, non-tropical trees. An even more dubious source of offsets is geo-engineering, which is 'the intentional large scale manipulation of the global environment' (PDF) to counter ...
Topics: carbon offsets, carbon sequestration, climate, climate change mitigation, energy, geoengineering, oceans (all these topics)

Same carbon credits sold twice (as CDM and on voluntary market) Double counting does not legally qualify as fraud	Gar Lipow	27 Jul 2007	Gristmill
The ENDS Report -- July 2007, issue 390 ($ub. rqd): ENDS has learned that chemical corporation Rhodia is using carbon credits from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to meet voluntary corporate targets -- only to sell them at a profit to be counted again elsewhere. Cement company Lafarge has not ruled out the same practice. Companies like Rhodia can use CDM credits to comply with mandatory targets under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. But they can also use t ...
Topics: business, carbon offsets, climate, climate change mitigation (all these topics)

Jack Bauer is going to stop global warming The TV show 24 will reduce its carbon footprint	Chris Schults	27 Jul 2007	Gristmill
Fans of 24 know that if there's one person that can stop climate change, it ain't Al Gore. It's Jack Bauer. If you are not familiar with Jack, here are some of his qualifications from the site Random Jack Bauer Facts: There are two hands that can beat a royal flush. Jack Bauer's right hand and Jack Bauer's left hand. Most people would need months to recover from 20 months of Chinese interrogation. Jack Bauer needs a shower, a shave and a change of clothes. ...
Topics: biofuels, carbon offsets, climate, climate change mitigation, ecological footprint, energy, green living, greenhouse-gas emissions, renewable energy, TV (all these topics)

Bogus accusations of hypocrisy against Gore They just keep coming	Gar Lipow	26 Jul 2007	Gristmill
There is constant drumbeat of accusations of hypocrisy against Al Gore for using offsets. Although the people who do this sort of thing are aiming for the lizard brain, I suppose it is worth pointing out that it is an obviously bogus accusation. Look, I'm an offset critic. I think offsets are one of the biggest wrong turns we can make in fighting environmental destruction, especially global warming. Al Gore, on the other hand, is a strong advocate of offsets. He hel ...
Topics: Al Gore, carbon offsets, green living (all these topics)

GE's climate credit card Mock, yes, but then take a closer look	David Roberts	26 Jul 2007	Gristmill
How about that GE Money Earth Rewards Platinum MasterCard? Hard not to make fun of it, right? So hard, in fact, that Daily Grist failed. To not make fun of it. That is to say, they made fun of it. And by "they" I mean "we." Moving on. Beyond the mockery, there's actually a reasonably interesting story here, and less of a Paradigmatic Example of Our Greedy, Rotten Culture than you might think. Joel Makower, as usual, has the goods. This is parti ...
Topics: green living, shopping, climate, climate change mitigation, carbon offsets (all these topics)

Offset mania Can't we offset something other than carbon?	David Roberts	25 Jul 2007	Gristmill
Lordy, this is getting out of hand: Under the agreement announced Wednesday, the Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation will allow individuals or groups to make charitable contributions that will be used to plant trees and do other work to improve national forests. ... Under the new program, known as the Carbon Capital Fund, consumers can 'offset' their carbon emissions by investing in projects on national forests to plant trees and improve water qu ...
Topics: carbon offsets, national forests, energy, climate, climate change mitigation (all these topics)

Why Do I Still Feel So Hollow? GE unveils carbon-offset credit card, other companies pondering same move		25 Jul 2007	Daily Grist
Why Do I Still Feel So Hollow? GE unveils carbon-offset credit card, other companies pondering same move Some people say you can't shop your way to happiness, but they haven't met the new GE credit card. Yes, the company that brought us "ecomagination" has imagined a way into wallets everywhere. The GE Money Earth Rewards Platinum MasterCard -- hang on, have to take a belly-laugh ...
Topics: business, carbon offsets, climate, green living, news, shopping (all these topics)

Timber industry rent seeking Making things out of wood sequesters carbon, turns out	David Roberts	25 Jul 2007	Gristmill
One telling point that carbon tax advocates make against cap-and-trade systems is that they create an enormous incentive for rent-seeking. Now it seems the timber industry is getting in on the game. Via Greenwire (sub rqd), this has my BS alarm all a-ringin': [Timber] Industry groups are lobbying Congress and making a public relations push to promote privately managed forests as carbon sinks -- a bid for a place in potential cap-and-trade schemes for greenhouse gas e ...
Topics: climate change mitigation, logging, carbon sequestration, climate, carbon offsets (all these topics)

Yes, Virgin, there is a green festival Virgin Festival 'near-zero waste' for first time	Sarah van Schagen	25 Jul 2007	Gristmill
The two-day Virgin music festival next weekend at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore will feature performances by The Police, The Smashing Pumpkins, and the Beastie Boys, as well as some bettin' on the ponies (!) -- but organizers are also gambling on concert-goers to "green it like they mean it" as they plan for a "near-zero waste" event.Certainly, the festival is not treading in virgin territory -- the green music thing has been done. And perhap ...
Topics: carbon offsets, climate, green living, music, recycling (all these topics)

Oh, jeez, not another carbon offset post ... Just when you thought it was over	biodiversivist	19 Jul 2007	Gristmill
Spreadsheets are wonderful things. Rhett Butler has put together a really nice cost analysis comparing the value of tropical peat bogs to palm oil. In a nutshell, this chart shows how much money the owners of these peat bogs could make in the next thirty years, depending of course on the future prices of palm oil and carbon offset credits: Take a look at the lower left-hand corner. Note that carbon credits put money in the landowners' hands from day one, while a new ...
Topics: carbon offsets, climate, climate change mitigation, energy (all these topics)

More fresh, hot data nuggets on carbon offsets Highlights from a report on the state of the U.S. carbon market	Adam Stein	19 Jul 2007	Gristmill
Yesterday morning I attended a "special presentation" of the carbon market survey David summarized earlier. The panel discussion was a chance for the report's authors to present the findings to industry participants. A couple of further comments, for those interested in this topic: The market is probably bigger than reported. Due to difficulties gathering data on this young and highly fragmented industry, the authors feel the market size estimate is con ...
Topics: energy, carbon offsets, climate, climate change mitigation (all these topics)

Give a hoot, offset a poot It was only a matter of time	Katharine Wroth	19 Jul 2007	Gristmill
Remember when Umbra wrote about offsetting flatulence in 2005? Turns out she was ahead of her time.
Topics: green living, carbon offsets, climate, health, advice (all these topics)

Carbon offsets: now with data! A new report with numbers and stuff	David Roberts	18 Jul 2007	Gristmill
Our discussion of carbon offsets has been rather hand-wavey -- lots of intuitions and moral judgments and gut feelings flying around. This obviously offended the gods of wonkitude, who have now seen fit to deliver unto us a report on the voluntary carbon credit market, containing some sweet, sweet numbers and graphs.The report was done by market analyst types at New Carbon Finance (in London) and Ecosystem Marketplace (in D.C.), and is based partly on "a wide ran ...
Topics: energy, climate, carbon offsets (all these topics)

House offset hearing on Wed.	Joseph Romm	17 Jul 2007	Gristmill
This hearing is the main reason I haven't had time to post more "rules" -- I know, I know ... you have been waiting for them as anxiously as for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming hearing on voluntary carbon offsets tomorrow will be webcast at globalwarming.house.gov -- and I have been reliably informed that if there's any problem with that website, the direct link to the hearing room ...
Topics: carbon offsets, climate, climate change mitigation, Ed Markey, energy, politics (all these topics)

<del In which I clear everything up	David Roberts	16 Jul 2007	Gristmill
Over the past couple of weeks, there's been a strangely heated debate on this site about carbon offsets. In this post, I'll speculate about why the concept is so charged, and argue that it doesn't warrant all the heat. And then I will leave the subject behind, at least for now. Start here: why is an offset called an 'offset'? We find a clue on Merriam-Webster: "something that serves to counterbalance or to compensate for something else." The idea is, you put ...
Topics: carbon offsets, climate, climate change mitigation, energy (all these topics)

More rules of the road for offsets: Common sense is good Measure, monitor, reduce, offset	Adam Stein	13 Jul 2007	Gristmill
Haven't had enough on offsets yet? Good. Romm's zeroth rule of carbon offsets is that you should "do everything reasonably possible to reduce your own emissions" before buying offsets. At first blush, this reads like a memo from Obviousland, a staunch statement in favor of apple pie. Pretty much every marketer of carbon offsets heavily stresses that offset purchases should go hand-in-hand with serious attempts at conservation, and I certainly agree. So far, s ...
Topics: business, carbon offsets, climate, climate change mitigation, greening biz operations (all these topics)

Carbon offsets and tree huggers Trees should play a bigger role	biodiversivist	13 Jul 2007	Gristmill
After reading the recent posts by Romm, Stein, and Roberts, I have concluded that carbon offsets are a pretty good idea if properly implemented. Once government regulations have been established (and enforced), consumers should be able to buy with greater confidence. As it stands today, you are taking a small risk that your purchase may not actually result in CO2 reductions. So, if you are going to buy them, do your homework first. I also don't see why an individua ...
Topics: carbon offsets, climate, climate change mitigation, energy, placemaking (all these topics)

Offset markets A new Pardoner's Tale?	Gar Lipow	12 Jul 2007	Gristmill
David objects to calling offsets indulgences. In contrast, the actual offset purchasers I've met -- via the internet or in the 'real world' -- tend to be environmentally concerned and engaged. They view offsets as something they can do in addition to other things they do to lighten their footprint. This is disingenuous on two levels. First the indulgence metaphor is primarily aimed at CDM and JT under the Kyoto treaty, where offsets are legally permissions ...
Topics: carbon offsets, carbon trading, climate, energy (all these topics)

Should we call them Green 5 now? Pop band Maroon 5 launches 'carbon neutral' tour	Sarah van Schagen	12 Jul 2007	Gristmill
Grammy-winning pop quintet Maroon 5 have teamed up with Global Cool to green their upcoming arena tour in support of their sophomore album It Won't Be Soon Before Long.From the press release:Global Cool will work closely with Maroon 5's production team, management, and the boys themselves to reduce the carbon emissions produced by the world tour before offsetting the remaining emissions that cannot be reduced. For its part, Maroon 5 will donate $1.00 for each ticke ...
Topics: carbon offsets, climate, green living, music (all these topics)

An observation on the offset debate Many offset critics appear to be shadowboxing	David Roberts	11 Jul 2007	Gristmill
I've been watching the public debate over carbon offsets out of the corner of my eye for some time, and have formed a general impression, which I would like at long last to get off my chest. Offset critics often strike a moralistic tone, comparing offsets to medieval "indulgences." Let's be clear: That rhetorical gimmick makes no damn sense whatsoever. If there really were such a thing as sin, and there was a finite amount of it in the world, and it was th ...
Topics: carbon offsets, climate, energy (all these topics)

Carbon offsets: The real reasons to avoid trees Trees are good for a lot of things; carbon offsetting isn't one of them	Adam Stein	10 Jul 2007	Gristmill
The first rule of offsets, according to Joseph Romm, is 'no trees.' This is a pretty good rule, as these thing go. The TerraPass offset portfolio contains no tree-planting projects, despite the fact that most consumers love trees and the fact that tree-planting projects are typically cheaper than offsets from renewable energy projects. So if trees are both consumer-friendly and cost-effective, why avoid them? There are lots of reasons, and Romm chooses to focus on ...
Topics: carbon offsets, climate, climate change mitigation, greenhouse-gas emissions (all these topics)

PG&E's 'ClimateSmart' offsets are anything but Breaking all the offset rules	Joseph Romm	09 Jul 2007	Gristmill
[Important update to this post here.] One reason I began posting my Rules of Carbon Offsets is a dubious program by the California utility PG&E called ClimateSmart, which is supposed to allow PG&E customers to become 'climate neutral.' This program actually manages to violate rules zero, 1, and 2 all at once! It really makes clear why offsets are bastardized emissions reductions -- and why trees are an especially dubious offset. This picture graces the 'Ou ...
Topics: business, carbon offsets, climate, climate change mitigation, green living, greenhouse-gas emissions, greenwashing (all these topics)

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