By Ken Marsh Mar Vista
RE: “Flying with a little less baggage,” page 3, July 30, by Melody Hanatani. What a curious notion, “carbon offsetting” — continue to pollute, pay for it and use the funds to mitigate the negative impact on the global environment.
Are economic priorities so dear that we are willing to embrace polluting behaviors that, in this case, effectively hold local people’s heads to the exhaust pipe — a form of pollute locally, take action globally.
Even if possible, $5.27 per-passenger spent to plant trees in (Santa Monica Airport’s) surrounding pollution-afflicted neighborhoods would yield no positive gain on their quality of life.
Carbon offsetting is the kind of action an addict takes to support his/her reality avoidance when circumstances call for cold turkey.
The challenges of climate change demand focused attention on the local reality, acting quickly to stop pollution where we find it, not make it the object of craps-table side betting.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 8, 2008. Read the original PDF.