My carbon footprint is 8 tonnes. It then suggested that I pay to plant 12 trees in ANOTHER country. Why?

Question

Why plant the trees somewhere else? I already grow a lot of trees-about 60 acres of natives like oak, redbud, and cedar, some pecan and a few pine, plus brush, meadows of native grass and pasture grasses, etc. There's probably more than 300 trees on my place. I want to plant a few more fruit trees (apple and pear) and a few ornamentals like redbud and dogwood.

My footprint is less than 1/2 the average for my country, already, without counting the trees.

Also, if you can point me to the best footprint calculator, especially one that allows me to put in good things I already do, I'd appreciate it! Thanks!

Answer 1

ABSOLUTELY NOT.  This business of paying someone for carbon footprints is a scam, a scam benefiting Al Gore and other con-artists.  Stop feeling guilt that someone else is laying on you.

Answer 2

Carbon credits are a good idea for big industry, for individuals, not so much.

For industry, targets are set for carbon reductions.  Then trading credits lets those targets be met by the companies that can do it most cheaply.  That's great for society in general.  It worked very well for SO2, the cause of "acid rain".

For individuals they're more a "feel good" thing.  There are no targets.  Unlike big companies individuals have no way to check whether the people they're buying the credits from are doing what they say they will, efficiently.

Individuals would do better to spend their money on things they actually control.  Like better insulation, lighting, programmable thermostats, more efficient heating and cooling, more efficient transportation, etc.  They'll also save money in the long run.

Planting trees is also good, but note that trees in temperate climates have only a modest impact.

Answer 3

Make sure they prove they are planting the trees and not just taking you hard earned dough!  You just got robbed my friend and it was legal.

Answer 4

HMMM - all the carbon footprint c**p is created by people in Humongous buildings heated and cooled to very comfortable levels, very well lit, have high ceilings and HUGE lawns that have to be watered and mowed with the most polluting engines on the planet by illegals from another country.

Then its promoted by people who live in 4000 square foot homes or bigger, use TONS of energy shooting film and tv shows, and make movies that are shown in very cooled high-ceiling buildings that have parking lots that destroyed hundreds of trees and ecosystem resources.

When they get real. I will! Sorry, I guess this means I dont have an answer for you. Thanks for not mowing your trees.

Answer 5

You may have answered your own question: because you are already growing a large number of trees on your own property.  Perhaps the logic of the calculator you used assumes that suggesting you grow more trees in your own area is moot. If you pay to grow trees elsewhere, you 'spread the love' around.

This is only a guess, of course.

I have to say; I am baffled by the suggestion in other answers that this is a 'scam'.  You may not believe in it, but calling it a "scam" implies that someone gains money from it.  If the calculator said "Send money to this website to offset your carbon" -- then yeah, it might be a scam.

Answer 6

Sounds like someone wants your cash.  I found a good calculator at

http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climat...

Answer 7

the tree planting are done in another country so that law enforcement can not track if the trees were ever planted or if the money was just pocketed.

even in the US you can be scammed one outfit was planting trees under a US Forest Service contract. payed for by the gov. and at the same time selling carbon credits claiming the same trees.

another outfit was a christmas tree company that took the money and used it to plant new christmas trees to replace the trees they had sold.

the US forest Service pays  about $1.75 a tree to have the trees planted after a fire. that is buying the tree seedling from a tree farm and planting it.

how much were they wanting for 12 trees.

if i was a scammer i would use the money to plant a large plantation of jatropha curcas in another country  and get rich off your dollars.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offs...