A friend of mine was telling me this week about someone who drives a big SUV but buys carbon credits to assuage his liberal guilt. Does that work the other way?
If Joe Blow can buy carbon credits can he also sell them? For the right price I could certainly be persuaded to telecommute for a day… can I sell that as a credit on an open market? Or is the sell side only open to pollution-spewing Simpson-esque nuclear power plants looking for suckers to pay for environmental improvements?
That would be double-dipping, cause you already save by not buying the carbon-encumbered gasoline, and the commuter buys when s/he buys gas.
well i might like to buy a prius… could someone help buy those carbon credits?
Well, Toyota had to own enough credits to build the car. And oil refiners have to own enough credits to produce the gasoline. Sounds like you want all citizens to have personal caps, just like businesses. That would be fun.
I guess in the voluntary carbon market, you could market yourself as willing to accept money in exchange for not emitting. You could send a certificate and everything. Or you could tell someone like Carbon Trust of Portland that you stand ready to buy a Prius once you get enough support, and they could direct money your way.
now we’re on the same page! it’s unfair to call this a voluntary carbon market though - the buy side seems to be voluntary in the involuntary (?) market… i just want to see a voluntary sell side too.
I was thinking about the coming cap & trade regime. Since the voluntary market is just warm fuzzies, you’re perfectly free to sell all the carbon credits you like. Let me know how you do, I’d like to sell some myself.
http://www.tufts.edu/tie/tci/carbonoffsets/
summary from worldwatch author