I am more than happy to pay 25 pounds or more a year to stop anyone driving around my house. <br>The money should go to improve facilities for non-motorized transport. <br><br><br><br><b><i>Eric Britton <eric.britton@ecoplan.org></i></b> wrote:<blockquote class="replbq" style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style>  <div class="Section1"> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Anzir Boodoo</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">On </span></font>29 Aug 2006, at 07:02, Jo�o Lacerda wrote:</div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">> I am very curious to know some thoughts of our British friends </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">> concerning this issue. (see article below)</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Jo�o,</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">So, it's OK to use your car as much as you want, because it's now </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">carbon neutral. So there is no environmental reason to stop using </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">your car...</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><b><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;">Problems:</span></font></b></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">1. Carbon emission offsets are no longer considered environmentally </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">equivalent to burning less fuel in the first place</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">2. An average aggregate of CO2 emitted takes no account of whether </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">the car burning the fuel is a Prius or a Hummer</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">3. Likewise, emissions in urban areas with heavy traffic probably </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">have much higher direct impacts than in open rural areas where they </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">can dissipate quickly. Of course, this is also ignoring the </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">interaction between emissions and atmospheric conditions... the </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">impact of a unit of CO2 emission can vary depending on where it is </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">emitted.</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">4. This also ignores CO, NOx and SOx. So even if you are carbon </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">neutral, CO is not friendly, and NOx and SOx are still not neutral.</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">5. If a significant number of people signed up to this, would there </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">be enough space to plant the trees? GBP 20 a year seems far too low </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">to me... I assume saplings (small trees) do not soak up huge amounts </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">of CO2, so it will take many years for the full effect of the "carbon </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">sink" to work... in this period of years, what happens to the CO2 </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">that is in the atmosphere, and is it recoverable by the trees in </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">10-20 years from now?</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">6. How does this work in terms of </span></font>Kyoto? Or is everyone quietly </div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">forgetting that now (forgive me for being rude and actually being </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">bothered about the whole thing...)</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">7. If everybody is happy to drive their cars when and where they want </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(since it's now "carbon neutral"), will people ignore the effects of </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">traffic (not just pollution, but stress and wasted time)?</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I think it's an interesting start, but is it starting us in the right </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">direction? After all, I assume BP only has a certain amount of fuel, </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">which is going to run out soon...</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><b><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold;">BP Launches Carbon Neutral Scheme for Drivers</span></font></b></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">> http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=37818</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">UK</span></font>: August 24, 2006</div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">LONDON</span></font> - British motorists will be able to neutralise their CO2 emissions by paying an average 20 pounds a year towards offsetting their pollution after oil company BP launched a new Internet scheme on Wednesday.</div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Drivers will be able to calculate their annual CO2 emissions using the www.targetneutral.com Web site and help fund environmental projects like wind farms.</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">An average car, driven 10,000 miles a year, will generate about four tonnes of CO2, about enough to fill a medium-sized hot air balloon. To neutralise this amount of carbon emissions would cost about 20 pounds.</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">"Targetneutral is a practical and straightforward step that BP is taking to enable drivers to help the environment," said BP's </span></font>UK Director Peter Mather.</div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">"BP is taking the lead because our extensive research shows that there is a huge consumer demand for such a scheme, but a general feeling from customers that they 'don't know where to start,'" he added in a statement.</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Motorists' money from the targetneutral scheme, excluding VAT and payment transaction costs, will be used to buy CO2 emission reductions via the purchase of carbon credits. BP, which has provided the start-up funding and will pay for running costs, will not receive any money.</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The company will also make a direct contribution to targetneutral when motorists using the scheme buy BP petrol using a Nectar loyalty card.</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The money generated from targetneutral will be used for a range of environmental projects including alternative and renewable energy -- such as biomass, wind farms and methane capture schemes.</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Offsetting schemes have become increasingly popular in recent years, but some environmentalists are critical of them, saying reducing emissions should be the top priority.</span></font></div> <div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></font></div> </div>  -------------------------------------------------------- <br>IMPORTANT NOTE to everyone who gets sustran-discuss messages via YAHOOGROUPS. <br><br>Please go to http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/listinfo/sustran-discuss to join the real sustran-discuss and get full membership rights. 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