Going Green
This was in my yahoo inbox:
Support Delta's Force for Global Good
Take part in the first-ever U.S. airline program to plant trees to help offset carbon emissions. Go Green!
Hello (my name here),
In a partnership with The Conservation Fund, we are the first U.S. airline to implement a voluntary carbon offset program — and we'd love to have you "onboard."
It's simple. Beginning June 1, 2007 , you will be able to add a small donation to fund the planting of trees in sustainable managed forests around the globe when you book your ticket at delta.com. These trees will help off-set carbon emissions by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it to oxygen as part of their natural processes.
We'll disburse 100 percent of your donation to The Conservation Fund program to plant trees and to support the organization's education and outreach efforts. Additionally, we'll make a donation to The Conservation Fund for every customer flying on a Delta mainline jet worldwide on Earth Day (April 22).
It's just part of our Force for Global Good initiative that strives to benefit the world we fly everyday. So go ahead and take a flight, and join us in uniting our customers and employees in support of environmental stewardship.
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Also, they don't say that your voluntary contribution buys enough trees actually to offset the carbon released on your behlaf over the course of the flight. You're supposed to just give something and then feel absolved of all guilt, apparently, without knowing where the net balance lies.
I'm agreed with chippy... Seems like a guilt fee.
The right way to do this would simply be to add the offset costs onto jet fuel at the production end, no? That way the true cost of burning jet fuel is felt all the way along the line. So, fuel producers, jet manufacturers, airlines, and passengers all would have actual incentives to cut down on fuel usage. Pollute less = spend less money.
Seems like the optional passenger fee actually introduces a disincentive to reduce fuel usage, especially if anyone is skimming a percentage of that fee anywhere along the line.
Also note that "carbon-neutral" does not imply "pollutant-neutral".