Carbon Neutral V8 Supercars? Not True!
It sounded unbelievable, and it was. The fuel-guzzling V8 Supercars racing series has been forced to withdraw claims it was holding “carbon neutral” events. the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission have investigated and must have any future green marketing checked by lawyers
Race organisers had said that the greenhouse gas emissions from hundreds of engines were neutralised by the planting 15,000 trees last year, but this may have been misleading and deceptive, and may have breached the Trade Practices Act.
The ACCC’s chairman, Graeme Samuel, said .”If businesses want to make claims that plantingtrees will offset carbon emissions, they must explain that this will only occur over the full life of the trees, When seedlings are first planted, the amount of carbon that they absorb is likely to be very small. It is not until the trees are fully grown that they can maximise carbon absorption.” The whole carbon accounting using trees is very hard to quantify and the carbon auditing procedures are still confused.
The V8 website has now been altered to say a “significant proportion” of direct carbon dioxide emissions will be offset.
It is still unclear yesterday whether the Sydney leg of the V8 series would go ahead next year, and the NSW Government have not yet given approval. The organisers want to have the race at Homebush, cutting down 140 trees in the process but replacing those lost with 350 saplings.
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