Carbon offsets – modern variant on medieval practice
Poneke is well and truly back.
Adam loved this post on the selling of carbon offsets which Poneke equates to the medieval practice of selling papal indulgences so that on payment of money you were cleansed of sin.In some ways the venality of the mediaeval church was more understandable, at least their belief system was settled.
As Poneke comments:-
Climate change has become the global religion of our time, and by the week it takes on more features of the age-old theistic religions but without the moral, humbling faith of those religions
and slightly later:-
Even the language of Air New Zealand’s website is nakedly religious – it talks of “pastoral” tree planting. Bless me Father, for I have flown.
Wind turbines are a fine way to generate clean electricity but we shouldn’t be praying before them as if they are some modern-day Cross.
The imagery is excellent. Please read the entire post.
Adopting the comparison used by Poneke, it is tempting therefore to see Rob Fyfe as the Chief Pardoner , offering us redemption -for the sin of flying, if only we will buy a tree. Air New Zealand is a business, not a social agency.
In fact given the amount of taxes and surcharges which they add on to their published fares, about which Poneke writes eloquently here, there is remarkable hubris, nay gall, in seeking to part us from even more money.
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What warming?
My understanding is that when the planes stopped flying sept 11, temperatures in the US rose. Seems that the contrails reflect light – as do all upper atmosphere clouds. And I think the greenhouse effect is driven by CO2 lower in the atmosphere. In short, I’m not convinced that planes lead to warming.