You're in the supermarket picking a shower gel when an “eco-friendly” label jumps out.
Believing this choice will not contribute to polluting rivers or end up choking a turtle, you happily put it in your trolley, safe in the knowledge that you’re doing a small, but important, bit in helping to protect the environment.
But later in the shower, you notice the ingredients’ list.
A quick Google search reveals they aren’t that eco-friendly after all.
You’ve sadly fallen for “greenwashing”. The term applies to instances where unsubstantiated or misleading claims are made about the environmental benefits of a product, service, technology or company.
The same can be said for well-meaning public figures seeking to promote their green credentials while hopping on gas-guzzling private jets, inevitably opening themselves up to criticism.
Prince Harry faced this situation last week after Elton John sought to defend his recent private jet journey to the south of France, saying the flight was “carbon-neutral” as he’d made an appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint.
The firm is a leading player in a rapidly growing industry which seeks to provide a quick option to repair some of the damage caused by modern lifestyles by paying
a small fee.
In turn, this finances a variety of projects to take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by planting
trees, or to prevent it from
being emitted.
Yet the industry is also the subject of fierce criticism, particularly among environmentalists, who see it as a highly unethical form of greenwashing.
Sceptics also point out that many offsetting schemes take ages to have a significant effect.
Meanwhile, who knows if the trees were ever planted or the windfarm was actually built as the industry is currently unregulated?
Replanting forests is a hugely important task we must undertake to put Britain on track to be carbon-neutral by 2050.
As is drastically reducing our aviation footprint and reliance on fossil fuels.
But before lecturing us next time on how many kids to have or how to save the planet, Harry and Meghan might want to think about what is more important to them: being environmentalists or flying in the privacy of a private jet?
Because as much as you claim to have “offset” the impact, you simply cannot
do both.
