A carbon offset scheme aimed at neutralising the effect of last years G8 summit in Scotland has been labelled a fiasco. Under the scheme £50000 was given to a Cape Town township to help supply energy saving intitiatives. The C02 redcution made by these inititiatives would then be sold to other high polluting countries and the profits invested in the township. This turned out to be such a complicated process with loads of paperwork and auditors that the township ended up in debt!

This does rather make you wonder about carbon offset schemes. I have always said that I think things like carbon offset are an easy low cost sop to the conscience of “concerned” polluters. You can say to yourself well I can take as many flights as I want because I am offsetting all the C02 emissions I cause.