Carbon trading is now the fastest-growing commodities market on Earth. More than $300 billion worth of carbon has been traded since emission caps were agreed upon in 2005. One market analysis predicts that if President Obama’s plans for a cap-and-trade system gets a green light in the U.S., the demand for carbon credits could soar to a $2-3 trillion market. Advocates declare cap-and-trade as good for the environment and the economy.

Investigative reporter Mark Schapiro has been looking into those promises and unraveling how the price of emissions and projected emissions are assesed. Mark uncovered some critical flaws in how offsets are assessed, priced, and traded in the burgeoning commodities market. As part of our Next Green Thing series, we’re talking with Mark about his reporting which is featured in the February issue of Harper's.

NPR: Cap And Trade And The New Carbon Economy

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When it comes to living green, some decisions are easier than others. For example, unplugging your computer when not in use is much more efficient than a flashy screen saver. But when is the time to trade in the old desktop for a more energy efficient model?

Trading up might not be the most environmentally sound decision. 80 percent of the electronic waste from old computers and cell phones in this country end up in scrap heaps in developing countries. There locals, often children, have higher levels of lead in their blood and frequently inhale toxic residue from burning and other unsafe methods of mining electronic parts.

So what’s best for the environment? It’s enough to leave eco-minded heads spinning. Never fear, help is on the way. Nina Shen Rastogi teases out some of these everyday choices of green living as author of The Green Lantern column in Slate and The Washington Post. She joins us for today’s next green thing segment.

Slate: Glasses vs. Contact Lenses

Where to Recycle Eyeglasses

Where to Recycle Unopened, Unexpired Contact Lenses

Slate: Should I choose fake fur over real fur?

Slate: How to dispose of old electronics in a responsible way

Find a local e-steward for your e-waste

TakeBack Recycling Programs

How to Recycle Cell Phones

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You can brew beer at home, keep a small vineyard out back, and even concoct your own cleaning products. What about biofuel?

Americans often think of fuel as something that comes from thousands of miles away, but new technologies are allowing small international communities to generate their own fuel, right in their own yards or villages. But this isn’t just a tool for self-reliance. The same company that started micro biodiesel facilities in Haiti and Bolivia also supplies the U.S. Navy.

Ben Preston is a staff reporter for the Santa Barbara Independent, and wrote about home brew biofuel for Miller-McCune magazine.

Miller-McCune: Power to the Far-Flung People

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A recent study by The U.S. Geological Survey has discovered a startling increase in fish that share qualities of both male and female reproductive systems.

At some sites, more than 70% of male fish were intersex. We’ve known about male fish with female body parts in our rivers for over twenty years, but scientists are concerned about how widespread the occurrence is. What is especially troubling is that they don’t know what’s causing the problem or whether humans should be worried.

A bill introduced in Congress earlier this month seeks more research into possible links to hormone-disrupting chemicals in the environment. Joining us with more is Jo Ellen Hinck, a biologist with The U.S. Geological Survey in Columbia, Missouri.

Popular Science: Something in the Water Is Feminizing Male Fish. Are We Next?

(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey)

Recycling and buying green products make us better people, right? Well, maybe not. Researchers in Toronto have conducted experiments showing that ethical consumers are more likely to act immorally.

Subjects who made eco-friendly purchases were less likely to share with others and more likely to cheat and steal. The research is out now in the journal Psychological Science and with us to explain is the study’s co-author, Chenbo Zhong. He teaches organizational behavior and human resource management at the University of Toronto.

Psychological Science: "Do Green Products Make us Better People?"

Slate: "Can organic produce and natural shampoo turn you into a heartless jerk?"

Toronto Star: "Going green licence to lie, cheat, steal?"

(Photo courtesy Linda Valencia via Flickr/Creative Commons)