Comments on: what are trading systems in regards to carbon emissions and credits?

By: dana1981

dana1981 — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 07:03:59 +0000

A carbon trading system is where there’s a set amount of carbon emissions you’re allowed to produce. Those are your carbon credits. If you emit less carbon than you have credits for, you can sell those extra credits to someone else who needs more (and vice-versa). It’s a way to put a cap on the total amount of carbon emissions from a certain sector while still giving them flexibility by allowing them to trade credits.

Right now this kind of system is only applied to industry and not individuals. Individuals can also buy carbon credits from a company that will invest their money in a project to reduce overall carbon emissions (like planting trees), but this is not a trading system.
References :
George Monbiot’s ‘Heat’

By: Bob

Bob — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:48:59 +0000

Carbon credits are a way for industry to get CO2 emissions down at the lowest possible cost.

Industries that can reduce CO2 at low cost do so, even more than they have to. Industries for who lowering CO2 would be very expensive can buy the carbon credits so generated. In essence they’re paying another industry to lower their carbon output so they don’t have to spend more money doing it themselves. Good for society in general, and thus a good idea.

For industry that’s a very good idea.

For individuals it’s dubious. It’s more a feel good kind of thing. And very susceptible to ripoff artists. Industries have experts to prevent that, individuals are vulnerable.
References :

By: aybabtu

aybabtu — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:59:59 +0000

That’s how Al Gore is making his money these days. He owns a ‘Carbon Credits’ trading company that gets a cut of every ‘trade’. That’s why he promotes the ‘global warming’ scare so heavily.
References :