Greenwash Hoaxes

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In January 2008, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will "examine carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates that claim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in one place to offset emissions elsewhere." It's part one of the agency's review of "green" marketing guidelines. The review was initially slated for 2009, but is being moved up due to the rapid increase in marketing things like carbon offset programs, a "$55 million market that is largely unregulated." A legal staffer for the U.S. House select committee on global warming explains, "The market is really exploding ... so there's the potential for scam artists to move in and take advantage of people." In a different kind of scam, a group calling themselves "Greenwash Guerillas" put out a press release claiming that U.S. Climate Action Partnership (CAP) members would make "a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emission by 2050," and urge "mandatory reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors of the economy," as well as "an immediate moratorium on the construction of new coal-fired power plants." Several media outlets reported the fake news, which was designed to criticize CAP "for attempting to seem green without making radical changes," reports CNET News. CAP members include BP, General Electric and DuPont.