Talk:Carbon offset

The previous state of the article wasn't exactly correct, since carbon offsetting is not actually offsetting the "polluting" effects of CO₂. As the article correctly pointed out, CO₂ is not a pollutant. Because of this, I have removed the "deceit" category; whether or not carbon offsets do anything can be argued, but they aren't deceitful. I have inserted a little closer definition of carbon offsetting, as well as inserted an example. I also added the interesting fact that planting trees doesn't reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide. HelpJazz 00:30, 14 September 2007 (EDT)

Removed:

These credits delay the take up of more carbon-efficent industries and technologies because peopele [sic] believe that they are doing an environmentally friendly thing {{fact}}.

I'm not entirely sure what this means, but it seems like an uncited opinion. The fact tag has been there since November. HelpJazz 21:50, 3 January 2008 (EST)

"While carbon is consumed by the tree during growth, the exact same amount of carbon is produced during decomposition. The net carbon gain, therefore, is zero over the entire lifecycle of the tree." You know, I don't think this is quite true either, but I'll have to check before I make a change. (Actually, I see a lot of things I don't think are quite true.)--Frey 17:38, 2 October 2008 (EDT)

It's true in a broader sense. Most of the decomposition directly breaks the tree down into CO2, or into products which are broken down into CO2. The rest of the carbon finds itself in other forms (cell structures of bacteria, and so on), all of which have a final form as CO2. I've got an atmospheric science text book burried somewhere in the house, but I'm sure you can find reputible sources online as well. This fact is the reason that some people jokingly (or half-jokingly) say that we should cut down trees, wrap them in plasic and send them to the bottom of the ocean. This would have the effect of lowering total CO2 in the atmosphere, but environmentalists would have a hissy fit. HelpJazz 14:05, 4 October 2008 (EDT)