Carbon Offsets
Ask Bill McKibben
Ask Bill McKibben is a series of Q&As that give the Brighter Planet community a chance to hear from a leading voice in the environmental movement.
Q: I am very concerned about our environment. I want to know if all these carbon offsets really make sense or are they just a way for people and companies with means to avoid doing the right thing themselves? It looks very suspicious to me. —New American Dream reader Mike Kendig
A: If they’re the only thing that you do to address the problem, then your suspicions are well-founded. But if you are using them in the proper spirit—as a way to offset unavoidable damage as you work for real change—then I think they’re great. Look, I’m about to travel to China to try to persuade leaders there to work with our 350.org effort for massive global change. I want to be able to buy my ticket with a Brighter Planet credit card so that at least [some of] the carbon from that flight will be offset. It’s not going to save the planet, and it’s not going to save my soul, but it helps some. —Bill McKibben
Bill McKibben, a Brighter Planet advisory board member, is an environmental author and activist. If you have a question you’d like to ask him, write us at askbill@brighterplanet.com.
(Good info from the Brighter Planet newsletter).