Bank organized 'quality' carbon offsets throw Indian farmers off their land

• 'Eco-conscious' carbon offset purchasers (such as MLB teams who partner with Bonneville Environmental) rarely know the consequences of deals they fall for.

4/20/10, "Carbon offsets: Green project offends Indian farmers who lose land to windmills," CS Monitor, by B. Arnoldy

• "The footprint of one windmill took less than an acre from a corner of Malche's small farm. But the loss means he no longer earns enough farming and now must spend part of the year in another state working in sugar-cane fields. He used to own three sets of clothes, he now makes do with two.

The Dhule project is an example of the dark side of a new industry that harvests profits from green energy and carbon offsets through projects in developing countries.

• The eco-conscious buyers of carbon offsets rarely see the consequences of the projects.

The environmental payoff has been meager in the Dhule project, which produces significantly less renewable power from the windmills than expected by investors and regulators. In part that's because of

• theft of windmill parts,
  

says one company that bought into the project, Essel Mining. The overall project, developed by Suzlon Energy Ltd.,

• has spawned legal battles,
  

a government investigation into deals involving tribal lands, and a cloud of acrimony and accusations.

All of this was news to Rabobank, a Dutch consortium that bought 175,000 tons of carbon offsets in 2008 to help the company become carbon neutral, says Bouwe Taverne, head of

• sustainable development for Rabobank in the Netherlands."...

9/8/10, Big league sports easily bought with eco-guilt.

• And fans are a captive audience! How can you do better than getting someone to drive to and pay to get in to a stadium,

then with the aura of the sport and elite athletes you sell fans on the myth of CO2 endangerment and carbon offsets. Dressed up as caring about the environment, small children, helpless animals, requiring pious self loathing and abandonment of a lifestyle for which

• evil Americans have stupidly worked, sacrificed, and died. ed.

• via Climate Depot