San Francisco to Implement Carbon-Offset Program

San francisco has been all over the news lately for its environmental initiatives–the conversion of the city’s fleet to biodiesel, a proposed a carbon tax. a comprehensive solar-incentive plan. 

Now the city will be the first in the U.S. to participate in a carbon-credit offset program funding local green initiatives, according to an announcement earlier this week by mayor Gavin Newsom.

Under the program, city officials will be accountable for the carbon emissions resulting from travels associated with city business. The program will require them to calculate the carbon cost and either contribute to one of the city’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction projects, or choose not to travel.

For instance, a round trip flight from San Francisco to New York would require an additional $80-$90 dollars be paid to programs such as the one that converts San Francisco restaurant grease into fuel, or another that invests in energy conservation.

Newsom said no additional city funds will be allocated for the program, meaning city departments will have to forgo some travels in order to pay for the carbon offsets on others.

"What we are trying to do by this is to set high standards to show carbon offset programs that work," Gavin Newsom told Reuters, saying it was important to keep the funding regional, where accountability could be more easily assured. 

Newsome said he prefers to personally pay for his own carbon offsets, but is unhappy with the level of accountability in many offset programs.

"Right now, my offsets, I don’t know where the hell they go. They might be going to the Amazon," Newsom told Reuters. "There are some scam artists doing nothing other than banking on this goodwill."

In 2004 Newsom set an ambitious goal for the city to achieve a 20% reduction below 1990 levels of GHG emissions by 2012.