Why bother reducing usage?- Why not just offset?

[Tom Wright]

Hi, being devils advovate (I think):
- We live in Summerfield Avenue
- Our household energy usage is 6.46 Tonnes Co2 per annum (Elec + Gas)
- This can be offset through a payment to www.climatecare.org for just £55.71
- The current price of Co2 per tonne on the EU market is €14.22 or £13.26 which is equivalent to £86 for our household energy emissions (not sure why this amount is not the same as the climate care offset price)
- So why bother to reduce consumption when you can offset so cheaply?
- Who is reponsible for setting the carbon price and why is it so low?
- Thoughts?

[George Latham]

You need to seperate carbon trading for business and for individuals.

For business carbon trading has a role in making sure that carbon emissions become a real cost and that incentivises companies to reduce emissions. The problem is that the carbon price is too low as you noted - this is because the recession has led to lower emissions in the short term without having to change much else. In addition there is uncertainty about the future of carbon trading given the state of negotiations leading up to Copenhagen this December. This is why it is crucial that we lobby for a strong agreement at Copenhagen - though the chances of that are fading. Either way, at the moment the carbon price is too low to make a meaningful difference.

For Individuals I believe that carbon trading is unhelpful. It fails to encourage the changes in behaviour that we need to see if we think that we can continue to live in the same way and just make ourselves feel better by planting the odd tree. A number of the offsetting companies have been found to be rather unscrupulous. I think that this YouTube spoof explains brilliantly why offseting doesn't work - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3_CYdYDDpk
George

[Tom Wright]

George. Thanks for your response. I fully agree with your comments about offsetting by businesses and individuals and I loved the video clip about Cheat Neutral.Com! I have had dealings with Climate Care before and I would suggest that they are a very reputable off-setter, but this does not detract from your arguments.

There are two hard problems for individual carbon reduction 1) Flights 2) General Consumption. The first of these is well documented. The second is less often discussed. Put simply: if you buy lots of stuff (goods and services) then your carbon consumption will be high, however well insulated your home is.

Anyway, I digress, because this group is about home energy efficiency. And this is an area where I think we can really do something! So I come back to my opening remark that we currently use 6.46 tonnes Co2 in our house per annum. I would be very interested to hear from others how much they use.

Finally, I agree with you that we should lobby the politicians in the lead up to Copenhagen. Does TT KK have a plan for that?

Tom

George Latham said:

You need to seperate carbon trading for business and for individuals.

For business carbon trading has a role in making sure that carbon emissions become a real cost and that incentivises companies to reduce emissions. The problem is that the carbon price is too low as you noted - this is because the recession has led to lower emissions in the short term without having to change much else. In addition there is uncertainty about the future of carbon trading given the state of negotiations leading up to Copenhagen this December. This is why it is crucial that we lobby for a strong agreement at Copenhagen - though the chances of that are fading. Either way, at the moment the carbon price is too low to make a meaningful difference.

For Individuals I believe that carbon trading is unhelpful. It fails to encourage the changes in behaviour that we need to see if we think that we can continue to live in the same way and just make ourselves feel better by planting the odd tree. A number of the offsetting companies have been found to be rather unscrupulous. I think that this YouTube spoof explains brilliantly why offseting doesn't work - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3_CYdYDDpk
George

[David Young]

Dear Tom and George,

Like a lot of people we have signed up to 10:10 in our house, but a key part of that is knowing how much our energy use is now. Basically if we don't know how much we're using in 2009, how can we cut it by 10% next year? So when you calculated your energy use for your household in terms of CO2, how did you get from your Electricity and Gas bills to your CO2 tonnes?

I also agree with George's comments (and the Cheat neutral video) about how offsetting undermines our motivation to cut our energy use: namely thinking that its easier to pay a fee than it is to reduce consumption. However, there will be times, surely, when offsetting is a good idea. We have relatives in the States. We don't see them often, but when we do my single aunt flies over to us rather than five of us flying to see her. It seems to me that paying an offset company for that flight is better than not making a payment at all.

In a similar vein I wonder what people think about making payments to an offset company in the same way that we might pay money to a charity?

David