Climate's Sub-Prime Mortgages

onMay 20, 2008 @ 10:18 PDT

Carbon offsets — and emissions-trading schemes, their industrial-scale siblings — are the environmental version of subprime mortgages.

They both started from some admirable premises. Developing countries like China and India need to be recruited into the fight against greenhouse gases. And markets are a better mechanism for change than command and control. But when those big ideas collide with the real world, the result is hand-waving at best, outright scams at worst. Moreover, they give the illusion that something constructive is being done.

By Ross Gelbspan

Analysis

uk/How Will Reform Rule Affect Local Climate Policy?

ByAdam Barnett

onMay 13, 2026 @ 08:23 PDT

Farage’s party has shown over the last year that it will attempt to block and reverse clean energy initiatives in its new councils.

Series: Defending Democracy from Dirty Money

Series: Defending-UK-Democracy

Event | Off the Record: How to Talk to Journalists, Lawyers, and Activist Organizations

ByDeSmog

onMay 13, 2026 @ 05:23 PDT

Join a May 19 discussion on how advertising and PR professionals can help journalists hold the industry to account, featuring DeSmog investigative reporters.

Oil Pipelines Align With Jesus, Danielle Smith Tells Christian Leaders

ByMary Stuart and Geoff Dembicki

onMay 13, 2026 @ 04:00 PDT

The Alberta premier gave a biblical justification for oil expansion at a Christian conference featuring Conservative MPs and provincial cabinet ministers.