| Trees are the antidote to the carbon dioxide and | | | | system for existing forests as an environmental |
| greenhouse gases produced by factory | | | | alternative to building a more modern, |
| smokestacks and automobile tailpipes. Trees take | | | | cleaner-burning factory. This challenge is not |
| in carbon dioxide and send oxygen back into the | | | | contained to the United States as countries |
| air. In that respect, they are natural air cleaners. | | | | across the globe struggle to set up a carbon |
| As trees are destroyed to make way for | | | | offset program which would be fair and yet still |
| development, the carbon they store in their roots, | | | | advance environmental goals. |
| leaves and trunks returns to the air. According to | | | | Similar to the forest argument that preventing |
| the U.N., nearly 20% of global greenhouse gases | | | | harvesting of the forest should yield carbon |
| come from trees that have been cut down, | | | | credits, others argue that if they capture the |
| burned in forest fires or rotted. This amount | | | | greenhouse gases from their rotting garbage, that |
| yields more carbon dioxide than that produced by | | | | they should also be entitled to carbon credits. As |
| transportation vehicles. | | | | regulators attempt to create a carbon credit |
| With that in mind, some heavy polluters are | | | | system, they recognize that waiting for the |
| arguing that if the assist in preventing a forest | | | | perfect system would stall progress. |
| from being destroyed, they are keeping carbon | | | | The overall impression of industry is that the U.S. |
| dioxide out of the air. As such, they further argue | | | | government would soon regulate emissions and |
| that if they pay the forest owners to prevent | | | | would allow companies to buy carbon credits from |
| the destruction of the forest, they should receive | | | | trees. Some states across the U.S. have already |
| carbon credits in return. These carbon credits | | | | entered a system of voluntary carbon credit |
| would then be used to offset their existing | | | | trading (primarily California and the north-east |
| emissions and reduce their obligation in modifying | | | | states) and many feel that the U.S. government |
| their factories to produce less carbon dioxide | | | | will adopt this system country-wide within time. |
| from their smokestacks. This is very enticing to | | | | So, the debate continues. A carbon credit system, |
| these companies since reduction of emissions | | | | originally proposed to force industry to invest in |
| from their factories would involve large | | | | emissions reductions, has now become a system |
| investments. | | | | of players serving up cheaper tactics as |
| Measuring the amount of carbon dioxide that a | | | | alternatives. The game is now a game of money |
| tree can absorb is now fairly easy. The | | | | and who can buy their way to green for the |
| complicated question is in setting up a claim | | | | cheapest price. |