Carbon credits are a lucrative hoax

THE recent scenes of violent civil disorder on the streets of Paris are likely to be repeated elsewhere in the Western world as governments conflate world temperatures with taxation policy.

Governments set arbitrary limits on carbon emissions, thus creating a lucrative market in credits created by meeting these targets. If companies exceed the limit they must buy credits from companies with a carbon surplus.

However, the credits are given for a subjective commodity which is tons of carbon dioxide not put into the atmosphere. The opportunity for wholesale fraud is enormous and is now a multi-billion pound business creating a great money-spinning operation.

The French and others are making money out of the air we breathe and have transformed economics into airconomics.

The Irish writer, Jonathan Swift, who satirised human folly in law, politics, learning, morals and religion, and who famously mocked scientists for a scheme designed to make sunbeams out of cucumbers, would have been hard pressed to surpass the nonsense. It’s a lucrative hoax and environmental taxation will not save the planet.

Daniel Farrington, Poplar Avenue,

Sandiacre