Transnational Institute De Wittenstraat 25 1052 AK Amsterdam The Netherlands www.carbontradewatch.org www.tni.org First published February, 2007 Author Kevin Smith Contributors Timothy Byakola Chris Lang Trusha Reddy Jamie Hartzell Oscar Reyes Editors Cover Oscar Reyes Ricardo Santos Design Kevin Smith Ricardo Santos Zlatan Peric Printing Imprenta Hija de J. Prats Bernadás Printed on 100 per cent recycled paper The contents of this report can be quoted or reproduced as long as the source is mentioned. TNI would appreciate receiving a copy of the text in which this document is used or cited. To receive information about TNI’s publications and activities, we suggest that you subscribe to our bi-weekly bulletin by sending a request to:
[email protected] or registering at www.tni.org To receive a monthly bulletin about news, reports and information about the world of emissions trading, carbon offsets and environmental justice, send an email to
[email protected] or register at www.tni.org/ctw Thank You: Karen, Mandy, Heidi, Fiona, Tami, Jutta, Larry, Vanja, Virginia, Matthais, Kolya, Tom, Nacho, Adam, Graham, Brianna and the Institute for Race Relations ISBN 9789071007187 2 l The Carbon Neutral Myth Contents Introduction 5 1 l Corrupting the Climate Change Debate 8 2 l The Rise and Fall of Future Forests 14 3 l The problems with trees and light bulbs 19 4 l Three Case Studies in the Majority World 26 India - "Rock Band Capitalist Tool For Cutting CO2" 29 Land rights in Uganda 32 Energy efficient light bulbs in South Africa 26 5 l Celebrities and Climate Change 43 6 l Positive responses to climate change 54 Appendix - Offsets and ‘future value accounting’ 62 Notes 70 Further reading 61 The Carbon Neutral Myth l 3 4 INTRODUCTION From the late Middle Ages, Western Europe became slowly but surely engulfed by the tide of mercantilism that superceded the feudal economy.