Al Gore Fans, please answer this one truthfully?

Question

I am an open minded independent who leans right. That being said I am simply looking to understand both sides of issues.

So, anyone who believes in Al Gore, and his carbon credits, please explain it to me. I just do not get how money neutralizes his extravant use of energy while lecturing the country about conserving energy.

Answer 1

His own state, Tennessee, he couldn't get the votes. That ought to tell us summin' ! He is a hypocrite!

Answer 2

All carbon credits are permits allowing you to emit carbon dioxide. One ton per credit.

Carbon credits come in several forms. There is the tree planting type mentioned earlier. The idea being that growing a tree will remove so many tons of carbon from the air.

There are the government issued type. In that case each country establishes that there will be a certain number of carbon credits to be issued each year. That number will decrease each year according to the carbon reduction goals established, for instance by the Kyoto Protocol. Those annual credits are issued to all the business in the country and that establishes how much CO2 each company is allowed to emit. If they can reduce their emissions below the number of credits they are given they are allowed to sell those extra credits. Businesses that cannot stay within their number of credits are allowed to buy credits.

A third type of credit system is associated with the installation of renewable energy. If you install for instance a solar system then you would be allowed to sell credits equal to the number of tons of CO2 your system has avoided.

In all cases the purchasing of carbon credits goes towards financing activities that remove, reduce or avoid CO2 emissions. The idea is to create a financial incentive that will harness free market forces to foster innovations that will reduce carbon emissions.

Al Gore by buying carbon credits has basically paid someone else to reduce their CO2 emissions resulting in a net reduction in CO2 emissions.

It is one way to implement regulations. Alternatives would be a carbon tax where CO2 emissions are taxed. Another alternative would be mandated CO2 reduction regulations where violators would be fined. Yet another option would be to ban the use of certain wasteful or heavily emitting technologies. For instance Australia has banned the use of incandescent light bulbs. You will not be able to buy and use them there after 2012. A related example is the moratorium on coal fired power plants that is under discussion in the United States.

Of these various regulatory schemes the carbon trading option is one of the least intrusive and one that perhaps best harnesses the power of the free market to discover and implement solutions to problems that offer financial benefit.

Answer 3

Obviously carbon credits will do absolutely nothing to help the environment. They are as phony as Al Gore's global warming dooms day scenario.

Answer 4

you are mixing up to seperate issues

Al Gores private life style is one thing,what he does with it is another

,and people in power,and who are rich ,always live more exstravegantly then others who are poor ,

So would you if you were in that position,

One has to entertain and recieve classy visitors and be all over the place ,

if i had a plane i would use it far more  than Al Gore ,i got friends all over the world ,and could work all over the world ,

do you want him to travel around on a bycicle and be just as effective,rediculous.

He does work on behalf of the Environment ,this  to me is all that matters ,and a rich guy with connections who can get everywhere and is recieved everywhere can do a heck of a lot more than a guy on a bycicle,

are you archieving as much as Al Gore,

when you do ,and if you do it without   using energy ,you got something to sell,

Answer 5

Engineer gave you the correct answer, once when you asked the question the first time (did you not read it?) and again here.

Unlike his critics, Al Gore has no illusions that his personal life makes a significant difference.  He buys credits to advertise the idea, which is a good one, a way to reduce CO2 emissions at the lowest possible cost.

Answer 6

I'm no Al Gore fan, not by a long shot. However, even I think that that story is stupid. Come on! The guy runs all of his business out of that house, and it's a big house.