Mr. W's EnviroBlog

I’ve just finished a unit on climate change with my AP Environmental Science students.  The text (published 2008) had a section on carbon offsets-first time I’ve seen it in a school textbook.  There are many companies out there now marketing carbon offsets to reduce your “carbon footprint.”  Terrapass is a popular one.  You can offset one year’s worth of air travel (an estimated 8,000 pounds of carbon emitted) for just $50.60 as of 5/5/2009.  Your money goes to support wind farms and methane capture projects.

So, does this approach mitigate global climate change or encourage “cheating?”  Watch this clever parody of carbon offsetting by a couple of Brits:

*If you want to learn more, visit www.cheatneutral.com

So, what do you think?

*Try www.carbonfootprint.com to for a carbon calculator if you want to assess how much carbon dioxide results from your lifestyle.

So, you’ve read in your text about Hubbert’s Peak (the notion of “Peak Oil“) and the debate over drilling in ANWR.  As crude oil supplies dwindle, the search expands into areas that are harder to reach (deeper ocean) or places that are not habitable by humans (the poles).  One such place is in the Chukchi Sea, located in the Arctic between Alaska and Russia (near the North Pole).

Chukchi Sea

Source: Wikipedia

About a year ago, the oil and gas industry put in a record bid to drill in this fragile aquatic life zone.  NPR recently posted a great story about the debate between proponents and detractors.  Just last week, a U.S. Court struck down the former Bush Administration’s plans to expand oil and natural gas leases in this area.  You may very well see oil become very scarce in your lifetime-or at least your children will.  What will we do?  Congress raising CAFE standards in 2007 and the crazy demand for gas-electric hybrid vehicles (like the Toyota Prius) may reduce our need for oil, but what happens when the Chinese middle class ALL decide to buy gasoline-powered vehicles?

During the recent presidential campaign, the canididates often debated solutions to this problem. There is a new call for more drilling off our own coast.  What do you think we should do?