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Justin,
excellent points you raise. Two weeks ago I was talking about Carbon credits with a few of my students. We came to the same conclusion as you. Is it really right to pay off our lifestyle? No. Is it something we (the wealthy nation) can do to make us feel better about habits. Unfortunately, yes. However, I will still buy wind credits. At least I believe it is for the benefit of building a windfarm infrastructure.

I was also talking at length with some family members who attended the World Econ Conference in Davos. The topic of the Carbon credit, and China's growth were large topics. Again, we concluded that the Carbon credits lacked accountability, and actually do very little.

Very good post Justin,
Jon

p.s. I recommend the movie, Who Killed the Electric car.

Also,
I feel better that today I just replaced all my light bulbs with the new Compact Flourescent' Self-ballasted spiral bulbs. 1/4 the wattage required to light. My "wealthy" friends highly recommended them. Although, they could afford a Gulfstream, they shared your POV on the "Hummer" of the sky.

j

My wife started changing out our bulbs maybe 3 months ago. The new ones suck because they take longer to light up and aren't as bright. But they use next to nothing in electricity.

The answer to all of this is not simply wind or solar power. It is cleaner coal. It is better and safer nuclear power. I am a huge proponent of nuclear power because it makes electricity so abundant and cheap that it absolutely destroys the economic viability of coal. All of the talk about hydrogen fuel cells and electric cars neglects the simple fact that they have to have cheap and reliable electric power to fuel them. And where does that come from? Coal burning power plants. Wind is a pimple on the ass of the amount of electricity generated. It is inefficient and if they wanted to put in a wind farm anywhere near you, no one would like the eyesore.

I get my power from Palo Verde, the last nuclear power plant brought online in the US almost three decades ago and the largest. Now that coal is falling out of style, most new power is from gas turbines that run on Natural Gas. Sure it is cleaner than coal, but it produces CO2. Which every single carbon based fuel source does. Ethanol is a bigger scam than carbon credits.

Funny thing is that most Americans are dumb enough to get suckered into things like Carbon Offsets. I think I need to start a multilevel marketing company to sell energy credits. Talk about a scam and a half. Want some Amway to go with those Green Credits?

JB,
I didn't notice any flicker difference in the spiral bulbs. And only a fraction of a second in the spotlight, they it gets progressively brighter.

I used to live and surf near San Onofre Nuclear PP in Southern CC. We never had a problem, only some "hypergreen" protesting. Nuc PP's would be a very good alternative. As for now, I still like wind. I can deal with the windmills in the eastern plains of CO.

As for the electric cars. I think hybrids are a much better alternative, and if they can make a really good All-wheel Drive subaru that gets substantially better MPH, I'm all over it.

But I like the fact that the electric infrastructure is already in place. I would buy an inexpensive family car to get around town.

Hydrogen fuel cells - humbug, I'm not buying it. Too uncertain, retrofitting gas stations around the country. Transportation and storage seems to be too inefficient.

very good points raised,
jon

I was stationed at Pendleton for almost a year when I was a Navy Corpsman.

My best friend owns a hybrid and it is awesome. But it is 2wd and is a Honda Civic. It is practical for commuting, but that is about it. But that is a huge part of what Americans do in their cars, especially your average 9-5 folks. I work from home. Fact is that we travel in bad weather enough that we need 4WD vehicles for safety and security. It is the folks driving a 4WD H2 with 24" Spinners that make me sick. If you never even engage the 4WD, why get 2-3 MPG less to have something that you don't need?

How do you see Green Tags fitting into this? I ask mainly because the local resorts out here all offer you the chance to purchase some with your pass.

As far as hybrids are concerned, I was mildly surprised this winter to see handfuls of them in the lower parking lots. Granted none of them took the windy, icey, snow covered road to the top of the mountain (possibly due to lack of parking), but they did make it mid-mountain. That's plenty further then I thought they'd make it.

What I've seen more of in the past few years has been the biodiesel. It seems to have a few more issues with the extreme cold temps, but it seems to be a much more valid system. Plus the lovely smell of french fries after a biodiesel vehicle passes can't be beat.

Here is the problem I have with all of these sort of programs (as well as many charities):

It depends on the charity or the program... Basically, many different programs have such high administrative costs that none of the money makes it where you think it is going. That is a major knock against United Way as well as others.

Folks start companies or even non-profits to make money. Sure, it is nice starting a company to "save the world" but the cold hard reality is that we just don't know that programs like this actually are having a real benefit on the environment as opposed to benefiting the folks that created the program. I am always leary, just like I am leary giving a homeless person $5 for "food". Do I really know where the money is going? Or is the simple act of giving enough to make me feel good about myself as opposed to really making a difference in the person's life?

And that brings up the real point of things that I keep making--If you really want to help the homeless, don't give money to bums. Volunteer at a Soup Kitchen, donate clothing, etc. Same with saving the earth. Don't give money to the Sierra Club or Greenpeace. Conserve Energy yourself. Don't buy "Carbon Offset Credits", decrease your own consumption. If the goal is to feel better about being an American Consumer by buying "credits", it is as much a scam as the bums panhandling for "food".

The buying of "offsets" sounds a lot like the selling of "indulgences" by the Church in the Middle Ages. These limousine liberals don't really want to reduce their jetsetting ways, but just want to buy a little sticker that says they are "holier than thou".

The best way to be a good steward of our earthly resources is to tread lightly, which means making better personal choices. Can we carpool to the mountain, can we drive at 70mph instead of 80mph, etc...