ATLANTA Delta Airlines announced April 20 its intention to become the first U.S. airline to give customers the option of paying to offset the carbon emissions created by their air travel. The airline is partnering with The Conservation Fund's Go ZeroSM program to plant trees that help offset the carbon footprint of air travel.

Delta offset the emissions of every Delta passenger that flew on Earth Day, in addition to planting a tree for every Delta employee. The program is initially focused on the Gulf Coast region, an area that has lost more than 20 million acres of forest land in the last century, according to the airline.[/quote]

Widespread instances of people and organisations buying worthless credits that do not yield any reductions in carbon emissions.

Industrial companies profiting from doing very little ¨C or from gaining carbon credits on the basis of efficiency gains from which they have already benefited substantially.

Brokers providing services of questionable or no value.

A shortage of verification, making it difficult for buyers to assess the true value of carbon credits.

Companies and individuals being charged over the odds for the private purchase of European Union carbon permits that have plummeted in value because they do not result in emissions cuts.(snip)

Some companies are benefiting by asking ¡°green¡± consumers to pay them for cleaning up their own pollution. For instance, DuPont, the chemicals company, invites consumers to pay $4 to eliminate a tonne of carbon dioxide from its plant in Kentucky that produces a potent greenhouse gas called HFC-23. But the equipment required to reduce such gases is relatively cheap. DuPont refused to comment and declined to specify its earnings from the project, saying it was at too early a stage to discuss.