Do carbon-offset schemes work?
David Prosser of the Independent asks (that is, answers), does carbon-offsetting work?. Basically, he says it's complicated, but a damn sight better than not.
Organizations such as the Carbon Neutral Company and Climate Care allow you to carbon-offset the dioxide generated by your travel by paying a little extra. In the case of a London-New York return flight, the carbon-offset charge would be £11.67. The money generally goes to reforestation, and typically to countries not signed to Kyoto. In March 2006, the Blair government pledged to carbon-offset all travel by civil servants or ministers.
Prosser notes that carbon-offsetting can lead to people traveling more than they should because they feel it's not doing any harm. On the other hand, stopping travel altogether is economically infeasible. The answer seems to be to take longer, less frequent trips, and be sensible with resources if you visit countries where, say, water is in short supply. Feel free to practice that one at home.
