It is not just countries that can 'buy' CO2 rights - individuals can
do it in this country. I knew someone who was so 'green'
he felt guilty about flying - so through a scheme promoted by one of
the leading environmental lobby groups he 'bought' his right to use this
polluting type of transport. The money goes to planting trees.
So he got to fly off to somewhere hot without a guilty conscience
(although looking pretty stupid for someone so clued up on
social and ecological sustainability).
Although this offers some people
a chance to offset the cost of their polluting habits it does little
to offer people incentives to change these habits- in this case it
actually gave someone the opportunity to increase their own personal
contribution to the problem.
Another uncritical way of perpetuating existing consumption patterns
instead of questioning the underlying ideology and behaviour which is
causing the problem in the first place.
Obviously it is standard neo-classical economics that produces all
this rubbish - but I still don't think that's a good enough excuse
to be complacent. Especially when we consider the World Bank is now
very interested in the concept of 'social capital' (or should I say
its own carefully defined version of social capital). It already has a
track record of obliterating great bands of the stuff across
the globe. With their logic they will soon be forcing all women
out of work and back into oppressive 'family' based 'communities'
which were supposedly so healthy for the growth of social capital.
Which I suppose won't be too bad because all the children will be out
working up chimneys anyway...
Still angry.
Sara
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Dr. Sara MacKian
Research Fellow
National Primary Care R & D Centre
PHRRC, Humphrey Booth House
University of Salford
Telephone O161 295 2826
email: [log in to unmask]
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