How to Get Rich By Scamming the Climate

onJan 21, 2008 @ 07:01 PST

A cartoon in The New York Times brilliantly captured the mentality behind the latest green trend. It showed a man kneeling at the confessional praying, “Forgive me, but I have SUV‘d.”

The minister takes the proffered bag of money and replies:

Go thy way, thy sins are offset. You too can be forgiven of your carbon emitting sins and achieve the exalted status of being ‘carbon neutral’ without trading in your SUV or cancelling that overseas vacation.”

Here’s a collection of articles we’ve written on the issue carbon offsets:

Enron-Type Accounting Used to Calculate “Carbon Offsets”

Romm on trees and carbon offsets

The Latest in Offsets: Homelessness

Carbon Trading: “Bad for the South, Bad for the North, Bad for the Climate”

Monbiot: Methane Findings Highlight the Scam of Carbon Trading

By Ross Gelbspan

Event | Join Naomi Klein, Michael E. Mann, and Jim Hoggan to Celebrate DeSmog's 20th Anniversary

ByDeSmog

onJul 1, 2026 @ 16:56 PDT

Sign up for our July 8 virtual conversation on combatting fossil fuels and fascism, keeping up with climate denial, and solving polluted information ecosystems.

Seafood Industry Giants Failing to Tackle Pollution, New Study Finds

ByBrigitte Wear

onJul 1, 2026 @ 03:12 PDT

More farmed salmon will not necessarily bring better food security, say researchers.

Series: Spotlight on Industrial Aquaculture

uk/‘Detailed and Determined Scoop’: DeSmog Wins Association of British Science Writers’ Award

ByDeSmog

onJun 30, 2026 @ 04:10 PDT

Clare Carlile's reporting was recognized under the ‘News Item of the Year’ award for revealing how UK government staffing shortages would harm the environment during a historic drought.