[Raptor235]

My husband, a frequent traveller, just received a very solicitous e-mail from Air Canada. Apparently, the airline is offering its own carbon offset program, in partnership with a not-for-profit organization. Travellers can purchase carbon offsets to mitigate the environmental impact of their flights; in fact, this month, Air Canada will match these contributions.

Air Canada is a commercial business, making profits from conveying passengers in airplanes with vast fuel demands and similarly high emission levels. While it is heartwarming that they are encouraging offsets and matching purchases, it seems beside the point somehow. Shouldn’t we all be looking at ways to become more energy-efficient, find alternative fuel sources, and produce lower emissions? The increasing business of providing carbon offsets should also be up for scrutiny.

Apparently, not all carbon emission offsets are created equal.In a collective enthusiasm for preventing environmental damage, or at least alleviating effects on the world, becoming carbon neutral has taken hold. In short, it means that for all the things we do involving emissions production (think travelling in vehicles, using electricity from conventional sources, buying tropical fruits, and so on), we donate toward a cause that removes carbon from circulation. For the most part, carbon dioxide and methane are the most targeted emissions gases.You can find the entire article here http://aboutmyplanet.com/climate-cha...siness-offsets