Is Carbon Balancing the Modern Equivalent of Papal Indulgences?
Consider an analogy. In Catholic theology, sinners could reduce or eliminate their time in purgatory by repenting and earning “indulgences” from the Church. During the Sixteenth Century, Pope Leo X created controversy by, in effect, selling indulgences for donations to the Church, earning condemnation from, among others, Martin Luther. Forgiving the sins of the contrite is one thing; accepting bribes for a ticket to heaven quite another. If every person on Earth has a moral obligation to reduce his or her contribution to global warming, then Gore’s donations to green technology do not expiate his sins. It’s good that he supports such efforts, but there is simply no reason why he couldn’t do so and also reduce the emissions for which he is personally responsible. If you think “sin” is the wrong category, but agree with Gore’s statement to Congress last week that global warming is a “moral issue,” consider the following analogy to the great American issues of the Nineteenth Century, slav
