The UK’s easyJet says that the carbon offsetting market is riddled with “snake oil salesmen” determined to make excessive profits, The Guardian reports. The airline has delayed the launch of an offsetting program for customers until this summer because of concerns over its cost.
The company had been shocked by how much money carbon offsetting firms wanted for their service finding that between 25 percent and 30 percent of every pound put in by consumers goes into administrating the company.
Instead, easyJet will acquire credits in UN-accredited programs and sell them back to customers. British Airways, which launched an offsetting program in 2005, said it was “not aware” of offsetting firms charging excessive fees.
According to a recent Business Week article, some offset deals amount to little more than feel-good hype
There is also debate about the efficiency of such offset programs from a science standpoint.
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