Bad news: carbon offsets and global dimming

If, like me, you want to be able to fly and still feel like you're saving the world, then you might be tempted to purchase "carbon offsets" (paying to reduce carbon emissions in other parts of the world to match those you're making in your hedonistic activity). But these might have environmental impacts of their own. See Guardian article here. Meanwhile the Chelsea of the carbon emissions premier league just keeps zooming away with the title. The US of A keeps telling us that, despite not signing up to Kyoto, it's reducing emissions faster than those hypocritical, po-faced losers who did. Turns out that's a lie.

The worst news of the day turns out to be that one of our environmental success stories is still bad news. Visible pollutants have both caused respiratory diseases and blocked off radiation from the sun (global dimming). Our success in tackling these (partly regulation, partly changes in productive techniques) results in us letting in more solar radiation, which is being trapped by the greenhouse effect. Global warming might be happening faster than we thought! Read it here.