I’ll cut to the chase: Carbon offsets are a scam and the glowing language in corporate ads is mostly bunk. Comedian and news commentator John Oliver does a bang-up job analyzing and eviscerating offsets. It’s worth watching all 23 minutes of Oliver’s program (language alert to those sensitive to such things … sorry, Mom).

If you want a shorter but less colorful dig into carbon offsets, that’s the first topic Charles and I tackle on this week’s program.

I know, the idea sounds glorious. A corporation negates its carbon-spewing ways by planting trees or putting up windmills. Yet as Oliver points out, “study after study has indicated that most offsets on the market don’t reliably reduce emissions.”

It’s not just corporations engaged in this brand of greenwashing. Individuals can also assuage their climate guilt. Some airlines let you offset 1,000 miles of travel for a mere $2. You can also offset the carbon footprint of your pet: 50 cents per hamster, $6 per cat, and $10 per pet pig. If you think it’s getting kind of silly, then we agree. Continue Reading →