carbon emissions

If you've ever wanted to behave even a little bit like a major corporation, now is your chance to enjoy the practice of carbon offset trading, via General Electric's new Earth Rewards® card. Instead of frequent flyer miles you can earn $1 in carbon offsets for every $100 you spend, which GE will purchase on your behalf annually on Earth Day.

How much impact can your carbon offset spending have at this low rate? According to GE, "Spend $750 on your Earth Rewards Card every month and you can completely offset the 10 metric tonnes of direct emissions the average American is likely to produce in a year from travel and home energy use."

The Earth Rewards homepage, unsurprisingly, spends a lot of real esate recommending that you purchase GE products like EnergyStar dishwashers and Compact Fluorescent light bulbs to earn those points.

There is something about carbon offsets in general that strikes us as being a lot like the Medieval practice of buying indulgences--or sin offset credits--from the church. Does the ability to buy "forgiveness" merely postpone the need for changing the polluting behavior, or is is carbon emissions trading an instance of environmental realpolitik, a pragmatic means to an end?

Here's what Building Green reader Tom blogged about carbon credits earlier this week: "Through the efficiency of the free-market we now have a shot at actually improving the environmental impact of our products and services AND making profit along the way. It may be the first time in recent history that the interests of environmentalists and capitalists have aligned to create positive change." Tom is with The Sustainable Group, which offers carbon reduction consulting services to individuals and businesses.

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