It’s fair to say that many people have reevaluated the impact their activities and lifestyles have on the planet; carbon offsets exist as a way to remunerate and give back to the environment. In theory and intent, the idea of purchasing carbon offsets is a great one. After all, some people’s livelihoods rely upon frequent travel or other environmentally-unfriendly practices.
In practice, however, some of these carbon offsets are just plain ostentatious. The yachtsman who purchases carbon offsets to make up for weekend jaunts might do the planet one better by leaving the vessel docked at the marina. And the oenophile who pays extra to offset the environmental impact of his or her wine shipment could very easily explore the world of locally-produced wines.
Buying carbon offsets to make up for a spendthrift lifestyle is better than making no efforts to aid the environment at all, but some of the offsets in the slideshow below are just plain silly.