Carbon offsetting makes a real difference to real people
In The Guardian today, Good news: carbon offsetting makes a real difference to real people.
It’s not often you hear of a good news story when it comes to the issue of climate change, but last night I heard of 19. At the Ashden Awards for sustainable energy, the judges had selected 19 finalists from 150 applicants in the UK and developing countries, who had decided to take individual or collective action to save energy in their local school, village, city or region.
Among the winners were a Kent school where an “e-team” of pupils monitors green behaviour at break times, a Tanzanian housing project where bricks are made without using environmentally unfriendly wood-fired kilns, and an innovative fuel-efficient stove which takes the smoke out of rural Mexican kitchens.
The environmental benefits often go hand in hand with poverty reduction and commercial gain, proving that there can be win-win solutions to the challenges of climate change. Solar-powered lighting projects in rural Bangladesh, for example, are allowing schoolchildren to study after dark and their parents to work a longer day to supplement their income, while snuffing out dirty kerosene lamps.
It’s fantastic to see that there are such diverse sources of carbon credits. Too many people think they are only about trees and air pollution. Carbon Planet is always eager to find new, interesting sources of qualifying carbon credits especially ones with collateral environmental benefits. — DS
Technorati Tags: carbon credits, eco, emissions reduction, environment, Ashden Awards, sustainability
