CELEBRITIES, the rich, the famous and the green zealots are quick to say that their privileged lifestyles flying hither and thither, travelling in limousines, attending every global gathering, music event, BAFTAs, Grammy Awards, fashion shoots, Glastonbury and similar events are ‘carbon neutral’ because they offset their emissions.

A look at the web shows numerous sites willing to take their guilt away by ‘funding sustainable projects’ and providing ‘carbon finance to reduce their overall carbon footprint and environmental impact’. So for a miserly £5 a ton, the rich and famous can claim they are ‘saving the planet’. They should be paying at least £1,000 a ton. The owners of these sites claim to be offering this service for the environment but as with many so-called green initiatives, the driving force is financial gain. They are on a nice little earner.

I doubt if any of the 90,000 people creating additional emissions by attending COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Glasgow in November will pay to ‘reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact’.