Trees-R-Us

Apparently the number of Dutch air travellers who want to neutralise the environmental effects of their plane trips is growing fast. Two Dutch companies active in this field, Trees for Travel and Greenseat, have reported that 110,000 people will off-set their flights by investing in environmental projects in 2007.

Now I assume this means, in the main, planting trees. Let's just assume that 110,000 passengers plant ten trees each, that's over a million trees. Last year over 4 billion passengers took to the skies. Let's just say that 20% of them through guilt, a love of the environment or some other reason decided to plant ten trees - that's 8 billion little trees!

Where are they going to plant them? More to the point whose going to plant them? Every other newspaper add would be - Wanted, tree planter. As someone pointed out to me recently, carbon offsets could be the new Amway.