CARBON FOOTPRINT PAYMENTS – A new Texas non-profit to help people offset their carbon emissions is up and running. The Texas Coastal Exchangewill pay coastal landowners to keep a part of their property in its natural state, so it can absorb greenhouse gases. Environmental lawyer Jim Blackburn explains what a typical family of four would cost to mitigate their carbon footprint.
“We estimate that a family of four with two cars will generate about 27 metric tons of carbon dioxide per
year," explained Blackburn. "And so it would cost that family a little over $500 to offset or to store their carbon footprint.”
Landowners would have to agree to keep their soil undisturbed for ten years each time they participate. Blackburn says the exchange would also guard against flooding because the preserved coastal land could better handle the water from big storms.
