So the capitalist in mean was wondering… As a "non-believer" in Global Warming, would it be unethical for me to sell carbon offset credits?
Here’s the numbers. According to www.Terrapass.com, my carbon footprint is approximately 80,835 lbs. Now according to www.carbonplanet.com approximately 5.33 trees are required to mitigate 1 metric tonne of Carbon. I, and my family, produce approximately 37 metric tonnes of Carbon per year. Using 6 trees per metric tonne, 222 trees would be required to totally mitigate my carbon footprint. Based on a planting rate of 600 trees per acre (seemed to be a low end of my brief internet search) it would take approximately 1/3 of an acre for mitigation.
Now Carbon Planet would charge me approximately $64.51/month to mitigate my carbon credit. TerraPass would charge $420 yearly. Taking the lower number, I could make roughly $1,200 per acre per year selling offsets. Now, if I had two-hundred acres, I would make $240,000 per year. Now, I couldn’t do this on my own. I’d need a Certified Arborist or Tree Dude of some sort. So there’s a salary of $80,000. Here’s this property on www.realtor.com. About the right size and $350,000. Monthly mortgage payment with a $15,000 downpayment and a 6% interest rate would be $2,008, putting annual debt service at $24,000. Now that leaves me with $136,000 to advertise, invest and live off of. Of course this doesn’t count other income such as hunting leases (the conservation easement would only be on the trees, not anything else, including wildlife), promotional merchandise (nothing looks better than your carbon neutral bumper sticker on the back of your Prius), etc. And as I get money and/or investors, I can obviously expand the acreage. Me and my Tree Dude can manage the forest to increase the carbon capacity, freeing up more credits. And I can invest in alternative fuel sources that would also reduce carbon impacts (this is what TerraPass does). This is the sweetest of all possibilities. Basically, you take other people’s money and invest it in companies that you hope will make a handsome profit for you. Sounds great, huh?
So, as you can see there’s good money to be made here. Is it unethical to separate suckers from their money? There’s nothing wrong with growing trees, right?
Here’s the numbers. According to www.Terrapass.com, my carbon footprint is approximately 80,835 lbs. Now according to www.carbonplanet.com approximately 5.33 trees are required to mitigate 1 metric tonne of Carbon. I, and my family, produce approximately 37 metric tonnes of Carbon per year. Using 6 trees per metric tonne, 222 trees would be required to totally mitigate my carbon footprint. Based on a planting rate of 600 trees per acre (seemed to be a low end of my brief internet search) it would take approximately 1/3 of an acre for mitigation.
Now Carbon Planet would charge me approximately $64.51/month to mitigate my carbon credit. TerraPass would charge $420 yearly. Taking the lower number, I could make roughly $1,200 per acre per year selling offsets. Now, if I had two-hundred acres, I would make $240,000 per year. Now, I couldn’t do this on my own. I’d need a Certified Arborist or Tree Dude of some sort. So there’s a salary of $80,000. Here’s this property on www.realtor.com. About the right size and $350,000. Monthly mortgage payment with a $15,000 downpayment and a 6% interest rate would be $2,008, putting annual debt service at $24,000. Now that leaves me with $136,000 to advertise, invest and live off of. Of course this doesn’t count other income such as hunting leases (the conservation easement would only be on the trees, not anything else, including wildlife), promotional merchandise (nothing looks better than your carbon neutral bumper sticker on the back of your Prius), etc. And as I get money and/or investors, I can obviously expand the acreage. Me and my Tree Dude can manage the forest to increase the carbon capacity, freeing up more credits. And I can invest in alternative fuel sources that would also reduce carbon impacts (this is what TerraPass does). This is the sweetest of all possibilities. Basically, you take other people’s money and invest it in companies that you hope will make a handsome profit for you. Sounds great, huh?
So, as you can see there’s good money to be made here. Is it unethical to separate suckers from their money? There’s nothing wrong with growing trees, right?
6 comments:
Uh, 1/3 of an acre will sequester that much carbon over 40 years of careful management and documentation. not instantly in one year.
This is what you choose to disparage? Hmm...
What do you think my Tree Dude would be for? Duh...
A small correction which will throw a spanner in the works for you. To mitigate against theft, fire, disease and other losses the rules require you to keep a 90% buffer. So while it's true that, as an average, 5.33 Australian Native hardwoods sequester one metric tonne of CO2 per year, you actually need to keep around 60 trees to generate that carbon credit. This, alas, throws your numbers right now. Reforestation is only a viable source of carbon credits if you have lots and lots of space. Also its worth noting that the land must have been cleared prior to 1990 to qualify.
There is a lot going on with 'Avoided Deforestation' - where you earn credits for protecting native, old-growth forests, but you have to prove that those forests are under threat first.
Cheers
Dave Sag
CEO - Carbon Planet
http://www.carbonplanet.com
I haven’t even opened my doors and already the competition’s running scared… ;-)
Thanks for stopping by Dave and thanks for the info. How did you find me? Based on your numbers, I might have to rework my business plan… Maybe I should just go the TerraPass route. Now one question about that, when I invest in “green” energy sources, do I get to keep my investment or does it have to be an outright gift?
One more thing, since you’re a “green” guy, do you support nuclear energy as a clean source of power?
Brilliant! I've had the same idea about purchasing land in Pennsylvania. I don't feel it's unethical. These people feel guilty for driving a car, guilty for heating their homes...survival of the fittest. In 30 years when everyone realizes what a scam global warming was you'll be relaxing with their money and they'll be feeling dumb.
I've got a feeling we're not the only ones getting this idea. I've had recent hits on this post from Oregon, New Jersey and Thailand, plus many more...
For more on my thoughts on global warming see http://ukce1861.blogspot.com/2007/12/more-global-warming-insanity.html and http://ukce1861.blogspot.com/2007/12/real-global-warming-agenda.html
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