Carbon offsets and cheating

I'll get to the cheating in a moment. Be patient.

First off, though...a bit more on offsets, a subject that's not going away any time soon, and will only get more controversial as it grows. Controversial? Absolutely. I already touched on in the post below, plus an earlier one on the ABCs of Carbon Offsets. To some, it's outrageous that anyone would exploit our urgent need to reduce carbon dioxide as a business opportunity. To others, it's a critical step to take, no matter what, as we move towards more regulated approaches to reducing emissions.

Take your pick, but either way, you'll find reassuring--and in my opinion, polarizing--press on both sides. Which, to me is part of the problem. I know it sells, but what makes for good headlines isn't often good communication. Communication, I mean, in the sense that it informs.

You see, I believe that people are smart. And that they will make better decisions (and take meaningful action) when given a chance to make informed decisions--rather than being blasted with offsetting (pun intended) hype. And to that end, I wanted to share an article that appeared today on USAToday.com. While I find the headline a bit off-putting, the article has been well researched and would qualify, to me at least, as good information and good communication. Read it with an open mind, and it should give your eConsciousness a kick.

Now, on to cheating.

When I first came across this, I thought it was pretty clever. Then I thought...oh no, this will sucker a lot of people in to become opponents of that which it parodies. But then I thought some more, and I'll go back to what I said a moment ago: people are smart. So what first appears to be smart humor with a heavy message turns out to be, well...just smart humor. For me, it backfires on the heavy message part.

But now that I've totally confused you, see for yourself. Visit the very amusing CheatNeutral.com. Hats off, guys, but offsetting still comes up the winner in the real world.

Comments

[Aaron Handford]

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