In an article in the Globe and Mail, and now posted on his blog (www.paullima.com/blog), freelance journalist Paul Lima wrote, in part:

In an eco-sensitive world, Reckitt Benckiser PLC, the globe’s largest manufacturer of cleaning products, wanted to spruce up its image. The U.K.-based company set out to offset the carbon dioxide (CO-2) emissions it produces in its manufacturing processes.

Who would have thought the company would find a green solution in the wilds of beautiful British Columbia?

By planting 2 million lodgepole pine, Douglas fir and white spruce trees on 15 square kilometres of once-forested land in northern B.C., the manufacturer of Lysol and Electrasol buffed its environmental credentials. However, like most manufacturers, the company continues to create the primary greenhouse gas that drives global warming.

“Canada, and B.C. specifically, was the right place at the right time in terms of best meeting our needs for the project and, we believe, making a positive contribution to the local economy and the environment,” says Edward Butt, environmental director for Reckitt Group.

The goal was to make the company “carbon neutral” by planting enough trees to absorb more than 1 million tons of CO2 over the next 80 to 100 years — though over the next century the trees will offset only two years’ of carbon output from Reckitt Benckiser factories. The company says it has also taken steps to reduce the carbon emissions it produces in the manufacturing process.

Reckitt is one of a growing number of companies and organizations that are declaring themselves carbon neutral by buying carbon-offset credits — equal to the amount of CO{-2} they produce — that result in tree planting or the support of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

BskyB Ltd., a British satellite-television company chaired by Rupert Murdoch and run by his son, James, recently declared itself carbon-neutral. The Olympics, World Cup soccer, the Super Bowl and other major sporting events have done the same. Even the World Bank has committed to the label.

Airlines are offering customers the option to offset the greenhouse gases produced during their flights. Hotels are providing carbon-neutral accommodations. Even rock bands such as the Rolling Stones and Coldplay have offset the emissions associated with their concerts and albums.

However, the fact remains: Companies that call themselves carbon neutral might actually be belching CO{-2} into the environment. Some environmentalists say carbon trading is a shell game that allows industries to avoid reducing their own carbon emissions.

Others say it’s a good thing.

At least, “it’s the start of a good thing,” says Ron Dembo, co-author of the soon-to-be-released book Everything You Wanted to Know About Offsetting But Were Afraid to Ask. He is also president of ZeroFootPrint Inc., a non-profit organization based in Toronto that provides information and services to companies seeking to reduce their environmental impact.

“Carbon offsetting isn’t the long-term solution to climate change — stopping the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation is,” Mr. Dembo says. “But offsetting offers an interim solution that can have a significant impact on global warming.”

Continue reading the full article at www.paullima.com.