Big Wide World

Carbon and Copenhagen

The EU Emissions Trading System has failed to drive real action on carbon emissions. With the Copenhagen climate conference approaching, what can be done to fix the system and improve carbon offsetting as an instrument to tackle climate change?

REDD

A fascinating article on the Washington Monthly website by (I kid you not) Rhett Butler, Big REDD is an in-depth analysis of issues around deforestation, carbon capture, the rights of indigenous peoples, forest monitoring, Kyoto and the upcoming Copenhagen climate agreement. Read it now.

Sandbag

New website http://sandbag.org.uk/ offers a solution to carbon emissions by buying and retiring carbon credits (also known as permits to pollute) from companies, and retiring them, thus preventing the companies from being able to pollute in the first place. I’ll be writing up more on carbon trading soon.

Burp-free cows

Canadian scientists are breeding cows that burp less, sort of like the Toyota Prius of the cow world.

Carbon neutral with that?

Lucy Siegle points out in today’s Observer that everything is going ‘carbon neutral’. Offset anything from your flight abroad to your Porsche and even your Mother’s Day flowers.

Welcome to the latest new money-spinning venture – and while we’re on the subject, damn it and why didn’t I think of getting into this sooner? – carbon offsetting.