Friday, March 2, 2007

A Little More About Gore's Purchases of Environmental Indulgences

It turns out that the "carbon credits" that Gore is buying to offset his global warming sins are sold by...Al Gore:
In its original story, The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville reported that Gore buys “carbon offsets” to compensate for his home’s use of energy from carbon-based fuels. What is a “carbon offset,” exactly? Essentially, it’s a payment someone makes to an environmentally friendly entity to compensate for personally using non-green energy.

As Wikipedia explains, a carbon offset “is a service that tries to reduce the net carbon emissions of individuals or organizations indirectly, through proxies who reduce their emissions and/or increase their absorption of greenhouse gases.” Wikipedia goes on to explain that “a wide variety of offset actions are available; tree planting is the most common. Renewable energy and energy conservation offsets are also popular, including emissions trading credits.”

So far, so good. So, where does Gore buy his ‘carbon offsets’? According to The Tennessean newspaper’s report, Gore buys his carbon offsets through Generation Investment Management. a company he co-founded and serves as chairman:

Gore helped found Generation Investment Management, through which he and others pay for offsets. The firm invests the money in solar, wind and other projects that reduce energy consumption around the globe…


As co-founder and chairman of the firm Gore presumably draws an income or will make money as its investments prosper. In other words, he “buys” his “carbon offsets” from himself, through a transaction designed to boost his own investments and return a profit to himself. To be blunt, Gore doesn’t buy “carbon offsets” through Generation Investment Management - he buys stocks.
How interesting--he runs a company that sells carbon credits to other sinners--while telling everyone what sinners they are. And all this time, I just assumed that Gore was peddling his snake oil about what ecosinners we are because he wanted to be President. Maybe he just wants to be rich!

It is as if Pope Leo X, who sold papal indulgences to build St. Peter's in Rome, had been out whoring every night, paid money to the Catholic Church to wipe away his sins--and then took a salary to go out and preach about why all the sinners in Christendom needed to buy papal indulgences. Most people would recognize that there is a conflict of interest going on there.

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