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It's a new year, and with it comes new responsibilities. In August of 2008, the Western Climate Initiative will require B.C. businesses to begin reducing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 33 per cent below 2005 levels. If these greenhouse gases can't be reduced, companies will be required to offset their pollution via a new form of environmental currency, the carbon credit.

Devised by the Kyoto Protocol, carbon credits are meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change through the use of carbon offsets. Offsets can come in many forms but usually involve tree planting or funding renewable energy research. In the past few years, environmentalists and green-minded civilians have been jumping on board the carbon credit bandwagon, calculating their personal emissions and purchasing credits to neutralize the pollution they contribute to the atmosphere by the simple act of driving to work or running the dishwasher.

There's no shortage of carbon-neutral suppliers to choose from, but prices can vary. While some companies charge as little as $5.50 (U.S.) per metric ton of carbon dioxide, the price can go as high as $13.00 per ton and, in some cases, it's buyer beware. In April of 2007, a Financial Times investigation uncovered widespread instances where individuals and organizations purchased worthless credits from carbon offset organizations that did nothing to reduce carbon emissions.

There's also a growing fear among environmentalists that those who purchase carbon offsets may think they have purchased a ticket to continue engaging in their polluting ways. As long as pollution from air travel can be offset, why worry about its production?

Of course, it's not just individuals who feel this way; it's big corporations, too.

With Kyoto Protocol restrictions looming, many companies that can't meet the requirements have purchased emissions permits from those that have room to spare. According to the World Bank, trading in these permits amounted to $30-billion last year. But is this really the answer?

I think we need to acknowledge a serious root problem that won't go away with credits and permits. Our reliance on fossil fuels is having a multifaceted environmental impact. And it's no secret that the exponential advance of technology over the last 100 years is a significant factor in increased fossil fuel use and GHG emissions.

For we technology aficionados, the good news is that with focused effort, many environmental solutions can be derived from technological advances, or even by altering the way we use existing technologies. For example, the city of Portland is taking steps to combat fossil fuel use and GHG emissions in a simple but effective way. Funded by the purchase of offsets from The Climate Trust, the Portland Office of Sustainable Development, in tandem with city and state transportation agencies, are working to improve signal timing on traffic lights in seventeen major metropolitan areas. It might seem like a small technical tweak, but by reducing idling and acceleration the Office of Sustainable Development predicts that in five years 171,786 metric tons of carbon dioxide can be offset, equivalent to taking 34,220 cars off the road for one year.

If you're looking for more information on purchasing personal carbon credits, or calculating your carbon score, check out Offsetters Climate Neutral Society. This not-for-profit organization, established by two professors who are now at the University of British Columbia, focuses primarily on investing in energy-efficient projects.

Of course, we shouldn't allow the availability of carbon credits to make us lackadaisical in our actions.

Now more than ever, we need to be acutely aware of the impact our lives have on the planet, especially when we rely so heavily on the everyday technology that surrounds us. Carpooling, cycling to work, taking fewer flights, reading a book instead of watching TV, and putting on a sweater instead of cranking the thermostat are each a sort of personal carbon offset, and they won't cost you a dime.

In fact, they'll save you money, which is always a good thing. You'll need it for those pricey compact fluorescent lights.

Dave Chalk lives in Vancouver, one of Canada's most environmentally conscious cities. Every other month, Dave highlights some of the latest high-tech products and services being offered today with a focus on ‘green' technologies.