carbon offset programs

As the world's leaders converge for the global climate summit, the clouds over what had been deemed a fairly useless exercise in geopolitical stagecraft appear to be lifting. Most dramatic is a proposal that rich nations provide a $100 billion per year to help poorer nations cope with emission cuts.

Earlier this week I wrote about a program which lets you give gift a clean carbon slate to your graduate by purchasing carbon offsets. After sharing this intriguing if not practical gift with some friends and relatives I found that not everyone knew what a carbon offset is. Rather than repeat...