Global Warming v Financial Crisis

Watching the political campaign for president, emphases was placed on the effects of global warming and ways to provide long term solutions to help our environment. When the stock market crashed of course focus was put on the back burner regarding ways to reduce the carbon footprint affecting our planet. Now the way to the White House was to change tactics and concentrate on economic stability. Followers of the Go-Green Eco Movement believe both can work hand and hand. Where oil production can produce many jobs so can renewable energy and green products. This area of financial growth is in it's infant stage and more attention should be paid to broadening and supporting this basically untapped financial source, instead of putting it on the back burner.

One of the things I have been following is "Carbon Credits." This is supposed to help in reducing our carbon footprint and help the Go-Green Eco Movement in our war against global warming. The only benefit so far that I can see is to stock market investors; large companies who are not in compliance with cutting back on carbon emissions and it provides a product for companies who have extra carbon credits to sell to those companies who are not in compliance. This plan reminds me of the game Monopoly. Companies who are not in compliance with reducing their carbon emissions can go and buy credits from companies or the government and basically get a "Get Out of Jail Free Card" just like the game of Monopoly. How does this cut down on carbon emissions? It gives polluters a license to pollute as long as they afford to pay for it. I find this to be no better than a person who commits a crime and is sentenced to prison. If the criminal serves the full sentence and chooses not to be released on parole should that person be able to sell his early release time to another inmate or to one who has not been sentenced yet. "Get Out of Jail Free Card." If the big companies can do it, why not the prisoners sitting in jails for petty crimes? Inmates not being released on parole because they have no home to go to. Crime has consequences, it should not matter whether you are person of low income or a large corporation there should be no "Get out of Jail Free Card." Carbon credits are not going to help our environment, the plan just gives polluters the right to pollute as long as they can afford it. If the government wants to create legislation to reduce the carbon footprint created from large companies, why not just fine the ones not in compliance. Why should the largest polluters be allowed to buy their way out by buying Carbon Credits and companies who are in compliance allowed to make a profit for doing what is considered to be the legally and morally correct behavior. The average citizen is expected to act according to moral and legal standards without receiving any monetary compensation. The Go-Green Eco Movement is all about recycling and conservation. It consists of average citizens just trying to do what is right for our planet and the future of our world so if the government wants to reward the big companies for doing what is right than I think they had better include the average citizen who has been doing their share of going green willing and freely without the promise of monetary incentives.