Even when global warming finally comes to society’s attention (it only took 180 years!), people still think they can “solve” the problem by burning up as much greenhouse gas as they like and simply paying someone to “offset” the carbon. The methods being used to do so are laudable (planting trees, investing in cleaner forms of power, etc.), but these things should be done anyway. And people are brandishing their “carbon neutral” logos around as if the fact that they’re too lazy to do more than throw money at the problem is something to be proud of! It’s better than doing nothing, I suppose, but one really should be taking proactive steps to actually reduce one’s emissions in the first place.

And it’s only being done at all because it’s popular. The underlying environmental consequences behind the actions have either escaped the public altogether or the public simply does not care because the consequences most likely will not be paid in this generation. Otherwise they would have started doing this fifteen years ago when the alarm started to be seriously sounded. No, it took a politician who at this time has every right to sit back and laugh at society as it founders to get people to move… not a scientist or even the “scientific community” as a whole. Thus, it should be no surprise that the meaning behind the action is lost.