In 2007 the Liberal government of British Columbia announced it would become carbon neutral by 2010 – for every tonne of greenhouse gases produced, it would purchase a carbon offset that would reduce or sequester a tonne of greenhouse gases. Like many carbon offset schemes, this one has been revealed as a scam. At the end of March, the BC Auditor General’s office issued a scathing report on the Pacific Carbon Trust (PCT), a Crown corporation created in 2008. The PCT was created by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act. The act directed the public sector – government ministries, school districts, universities, health authorities – to minimize emissions of greenhouse gases. The government did not provide the resources necessary to allow these institutions to eliminate their carbon emissions. Instead, these public sector organizations are required to purchase BC-based carbon offsets through the PCT. In 2010 the public sector diverted $18.2 million to the PCT. The Auditor General's report shows that this money, that could have been spent on programs and services, instead went into private pockets, with no net benefit for the environment. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act allows only certain types of carbon offsets. A project designed to offset carbon production must demonstrate that it faces “financial, technological or other obstacles which are overcome, or partially overcome, by the incentive of being recognized as an emission offset.” A project that would have happened whether offsets were purchased or not is not eligible for consideration. Instead they are called “free-riders.” Read more..