Former Vice President Al Gore, now campaigning against global warming, recently got in a jam because he lives in a 20-room house with a $30,000 utility bill. Gore said his life is "carbon neutral" because he buys offsets.
But Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, believes this is all well-intentioned -- but possibly off the mark.
"In many cases, it reminds me of the Middle Ages, where a sinner would buy indulgences from the church to make up for their misdeeds, and then they'd go right back to sinning," O'Donnell said. "I mean, it really doesn't change things."
"One of the real problems with this is that it may divert attention from what we really need, and that is strong, decisive action by the federal government to actually limit and reduce carbon emissions nationwide," O'Donnell added.
