isramart: EDITORIAL: Carbon offsets good idea — but schools, hospitals shouldn’t have to pay

isramart news:
Reducing greenhouse gasses to slow climate change is a worthy goal, but not at the expense of students and sick people.

While it’s great news that the provincial government is taking seriously its role as leader in the fight against global warming, one wonders if making school districts, health authorities and colleges buy carbon offsets is the right thing to do.

The budgets of these government agencies are already tight and so paying money to the Pacific Carbon Trust to offset GHG emissions doesn’t make much sense.

Better that the government provide money for heating, fuel and energy upgrades to schools, hospitals and colleges so they can reduce their GHGs by becoming more efficient.

Pacific Carbon Trust is in its infancy and has a long way to go before it will truly deliver on its mandate. In the meantime, scarce classroom and health care dollars should not be spent on a feel-good exercise in carbon-offsetting.