I’m about to tell you why non-ideological economists get so frustrated with global warming zealots (brace yourself): frankly, there are more pressing issues facing the world. I know, in the wake of NBC’s “Green Week” and Prius’ taking over the streets, it’s hard to believe. This isn’t to say that environmental preservation is not on the short list of world concerns. It is. And this isn’t to say that environmentalism is not a worthy cause. Again, it is. Unfortunately, some of the brightest minds in the world, who look at things from a perspective of costs and benefits, do not see the need for public tax dollars to be funneled vigorously into combating climate change. Just ask the Copenhagen Consensus.

Back in the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church and some other unaffiliated snake oil salesmen, sold what were called indulgences. These indulgences offered penance for a variety of sins and could either commute or completely eliminate one’s arduous trip through Purgatory. Today, we have a similar situation; we have an entire market of carbon credit traders. Basically, you buy offsetting carbon credits (for someone, probably in a third world country, to plant trees or something like that) to make up for your “carbon footprint.”