General Electric today is unveiling what just may be the ultimate expression of the inherent contradictions of green capitalism: a credit card designed to offset the environmental impact of the very consumerism it promotes. GE Money’s (GE) Earth Rewards MasterCard (MA) takes 1 percent of all purchases and uses the money to invest in greenhouse gas reduction projects like capturing methane, planting trees and building wind and solar power plants. The Earth Rewards site lists "3 Easy Steps toward Reducing Your Climate Impact: 1. Choose Reward. 2. Shop. 3. Offset."
"It’s important to keep in mind that we can’t ‘shop away’ global climate change," GE cautions. "The most important thing for all of us … is to use energy more wisely by being as efficient as possible in everything we do. It is also important that, whenever possible, we purchase renewable energy through our utility providers and use alternative fuels in our vehicles. The final thing to do is to offset those remaining impacts that can’t be avoided. That’s where the Earth Rewards Card comes in."
Yet shopping away your carbon footprint is the logical extension of the guilt-free carbon-offsetting trend. Sure, a lot of people these days use their credit cards for routine daily purchases and if some small part of that spending can be used to fight global warming, well, who’s to argue with that. (And for GE, it’s just good business as the conglomerate invests in renewable energy projects.) But given that American-style consumerism is one of the drivers of global warming, promoting plastic often used to buy things people can’t afford and don’t need isn’t exactly a solution to climate change. Cutting up one of your credit cards probably will do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Saving the planet: Priceless.
Green Wombat 
This is precisely the problem with our country. The gluttony of consumption that somehow has become acceptable and rewarded must stop. People aren’t responsive to a problem until they are smacked in the face with it.
Don’t assume everyone uses credit cards for credit. We save up before we buy something, but we always use our rewards card. The best thing is earning interest on the cash before paying the card, AND getting a little bit back from the credit card.
Personally I would never get a green card. How do I know the money is really going to be used as advertised? I’d rather receive money as a reward, and focus on becoming carbon neutral in more tangible, measurable ways.
I have sent a proposal for new patented solar technology via the internet. No response from GE? Seems like a good opportunity to significantly reduce green house gases. Solar power plants can displace fossil and nuclear plants. Imagine a 747 flying across the continent without jet fuel!
Take a look at the foldout chart in Gore’s book, Incon Truth, and answer the questions:
What defeats and reverses the spikes ?
Which is the trigger, CO2 or temp dev?
Burning anything as a substitute for something else won’t help much…Solar and wind are the only solutions that use the heat that’s building up. We have only a small chance that everyone will get this and do what needs to be done.
cheers.
I love the saying. “I’m more worried about the intellectual climate change”.
Global Warming is just another political stunt, an attempt to scare voters and make us think we need more government. If there is a mandated carbon reduction target the lowest class of people will be most affected. Why does no one address this??? A real solution is carbon vouchers.
a solar powered plane- yeah… boy you passengers already bitch when we get delays on a rainy day. imagine what happens when the airplane gets delayed into the night.
not to be too pessimistic, but a 747 will fly on solar power the day my car drives on starlight and dreams.
The study found that global warming since 1985 has been caused neither by an increase in solar radiation nor by a decrease in the flux of galactic cosmic rays. Some researchers had also suggested that the latter might influence global warming because the rays trigger cloud formation. I am write a blog which gave complete information about Global Warming.
We have come to accept consumerism fait accompli.
Many of the world’s greatest things on planet earth (and in space) is a result of American innovations.
However, there is one (amongst some others)of American innovation, that we can do without – i.e, the notion that one can buy anything with credit. This is the maliase of US consumerism and extends into your business and political bloodstream.
You can’t buy back the threat of global warming nor can you buy into the hearts and minds of the people on the ground that you are engaging in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, etc.. surely, you must have learnt your lessons from Vietnam ?
Similarly, the mega $billion buyouts, these are just another sort of ridiculous valuations made possible by cheap credit. Americans have this strange sense of “loudness” – sometimes you can’t hear yourself talking!
You can blame anything on Global Warming these days; no matter what weather pattern. Again this year “experts” predicted a busy Hurricane season; just like last year. Some experts huh?
Global Warming just gives the tunnel vision scientist and so called experts an excuse when they are flat out wrong… um well, something didn’t turn out the way we expected must be Global Warming. What a crock.
When an overwhelming number of scientists, the best and the brightest humanity has to offer, tell us that humans are probably (and that we will be 100% certain when its too late) the cause of global warming then we have to stop and think and listen to them. I am amazed at those who choose to listen to the minority of dissenting voices out there (convenience?) that call these majority scientists ‘alarmists’ and ‘crockpots’. If anyone is not open to the possibility of “what if” and “what if its too late” then they are plain stupid because we have no other choice but to live on this planet.
for all claiming Global Warming is fad, politial stunt, or extreme position:
Read the latest Scientific American article on the topic.–August 2007 issue.
It is an enlightening, sobering take on the issue.
Winning the Kenyan lottery isn’t the only global con going on. Wake up people. The globalists, spearheaded of course by the UN, are playing us like the chumps we are. All I need are more taxes on everything that I pay for because I’m an evil Westerner that uses more than my fair share of carbon. The planet has been cooling and warming and cooling and warming for millions of years and will continue to do that for millions more. How do we know that the temperature right now is the “right” temperature for the planet? All these sky is falling scenarios that the government funded scientists are coming up with is nonsense. God, the fear mongering is so in your face but you swallow it hook, line, and sinker.
If you believe all this hype than it won’t be long until you find yourselves as financial slaves to big government and big business. Turning green into gold is the angle and if you can’t see that, I feel sorry for you. I guess it won’t be too long until you start going along with allowing the government to tell you how many children you can have. After all, mankind is harmful to the earth. The logical solution would be to start culling the human herd. Especially if the planet continues to get warmer. We’ll be forced to take more and more drastic actions. Remember, the end of the world will be at hand!
If you’re worried about the planet, I would suggest you turn your attention to real issues. How about the tons and tons of nerve gas and other poisonous chemicals the US government just dumped off the Atlantic coast? How about the tons of dupleted uranium the US army is depositing all over Iraq, Afghanistan, and the US? Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! While the governments and corporations are telling us we the people are killing the planet, they in turn are doing more to destroy it than any individuals ever could.
Be responsible for what you do in life, think of the consequences of your actions, and try to stay in balance with the environment you live in. Support your local organic farmers and encourage recycling efforts in your community. Take action yourself. Don’t allow a bunch of politicians and multinational corporations tell us what to do. Don’t buy their scam.
I’ll leave you with this thought. How will we know all the carbon taxes and restrictions placed on our rights and freedoms have payed off? Will the temperature of the planet stabalize? Will the temperature actually come back down? How will we know if it’s getting too cold? Don’t you see?
It’s a scam…….
GE.No credit cards for me.