Farmers Union’s Carbon Credit Program allows ag producers and landowners to earn income by storing carbon in their soil through no-till crop production and longterm grass seeding practices. Farmers Union has earned approval from the Chicago Climate Exchange to aggregate carbon credits. Farmers Union will enroll producer acreages of carbon into blocks of credits that will be traded on the Exchange, much like other agricultural commodities are traded.
Now that math here is easy. So, let's just keep it simple.
Let's say the farm above is given 100 carbon (dioxide) credits. If they raise pigs or cows or dairy cows their carbon credits should be lower as the livestock emits methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas. It is also responsible for Human Induced Global Warming. Actually, Bush eliminated programs that farmers were using to contain methane because he wanted to study them more.
Bush has also given 'breaks' to anti-environmental lobbyists with the assistance of Gail Norton in the area of coal-bed methane development (click on and check under 'Air Pollution' , number 6, where it states that coal-bed methane contributes large amounts of carbon dioxide to Global Warming.)
by Walt Hays
The Bush administration, in catering to industries that put America's health and natural heritage at risk, threatens to do more damage to our environmental protections than any other in U.S. history.
BUT, TO RETURN TO THE MATH.
If the coal fired electric plant below uses 1000 carbon credits. Then it needs to purchase 100 carbon credits from 10 farms with a carbon credit rating of 100. That might seem equitable, but, what has changed?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
The cost to the utility company will be passed onto the consumer and the effects of Carbon Credit Trading will do nothing than serve to increase the wealth of those in the upper crust of the feeding chain.
The Rich get Richer while the Poor get Poorer.
