What, why and how?
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Cap and Trade is normally only discussed by a few policy makers, with the result that few of the general public has ever heard of it. Applied in our way, however, it brings real and measurable environmental benefits and enormous educational and awareness benefits. |
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that we are all responsible for emitting because of the transportation we take, the electricity we use and things we consume. Many people concerned about Climate Change try to reduce their personal emissions but modern life makes some level of emissions inevitable. Offsetting is the process where individuals donate money to projects that reduce carbon emissions (such as wind farms) to counteract their remaining emissions.
The Failure of Carbon OffsettingCarbon offsetting in its current form is fine in principle, but fails in practice. The global average of flights that are offset is less than 1% (see this article from the UK's Telegraph newspaper). It's an idea that has not taken off.
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Educational value has already been developed by paying schools to offset carbon: the students understand the offsetting mechanism through first hand experience.
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Teng Hoi Conservation Organization is a member of Take Tech Ltd, a non-profit making organization registered in Hong Kong. We develop practical and participative environmental programmes with a strong emphasis on education and measurable results. 'Teng Hoi' is a Cantonese phrase that translates as 'listen to the sea', a name that came from our first programme, the development of a device to locate explosions underwater generated by illegal fish bombs.
| BBC News - Science & Environment |
| The latest stories from the Science & Environment section of the BBC News web site. |
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