Only in America would people be able to soothe their guilty consciences by the purchase of the “carbon offset.” The idea is a complete joke. If people realize that what they are doing is bad for the environment and they are concerned about it, then not polluting is the correct choice. Flying is a luxury, not a necessity. Instead of buying carbon offsets, get rid of your car, plant a garden or put some solar panels on your house. Global warming is not some far-off concept; it’s here now, and we all have drastic sacrifices to make if we want to do something about it.
Of course, maybe it’s too late already. Perhaps the things we need to focus on are paying off our house or buying some land; getting ready for the petroleum collapse foretold by Hubbert’s Peak; and, as a society, relearning the skills of self-reliance lost to us in the last three generations.
Then again, maybe it’s time to party. Perhaps these are the end times and the only [thing] left to say is … pass me a beer.
— Joseph Crawley
Asheville
