I interviewed for a company (years ago), while I didn't get the job, I did study their business model.
In an effort to slow/prevent climate change, the Canadian Government agreed to implement a Carbon Credit exchange system. It was discovered that modifying agricultural techiniques reduced carbon emissions by using the soil as a carbon store.
Exchanging and tracking carbon credits is difficult for small farmers, so this company decided to aid in the process by acting as a middle man. They track all of the paperwork involved by paying companies for reduced emissions, and then selling the tracked reductions on to other companies.
An ecologically responsible, community minded company.
Here is the question: who profits in this model?
The technique was basically a "No Till" agriculture model. Turning the soil over releases CO2 into the air, by not tilling farmers demonstrate a net reduction in CO2 outputs. The reduced production of these techniques was greatly offset by the sale of Carbon Credits.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_sequestration#Reducing_emissions
The problem is that tilling kills undesirable plants, without tilling weed control is performed through the use of herbicides and pest resitant plants (win for Monsanto)
http://www.monsanto.com/improvingagriculture/pages/carbon-neutral-crop-production.aspx
As more farmers switch to the new farming techniques, food production is reduced. As the supply of food declines, prices incrementally increase (loss for consumer).
http://inflationcalculator.ca/canadian-food-prices-likely-to-continue-their-climb/
As more farmers enter the Carbon market, prices decline. Eventually, the profit margins are negligible (loss farmer), but companies producing lots of pollutants get cheap Carbon credits, allowing them to produce more at lower cost (win for Monstanto). Which is good because farmers are contractually obligated to continue using herbicides (win for Monsanto)
http://gmwatch.org/news/archive/2009/11805-monsantos-aggressive-seed-business-tactics-revealed-in-confidential-contracts
Carbon Credits ends up amounting to a way to solidify Monsanto's position in the market.
http://www.thegwpf.com/forget-paris-eu-lawmakers-want-to-increase-free-carbon-allowance-share/
+Matthew J Price, never trust someone lobbying the government to get their hands on your money, no matter how much they say they are doing it to help you.
(Disclaimer: I totally cherry-picked data to make this point)
* Monsanto lobbies for the regulation (creating the problem)
* Monsanto sells the solution (herbicides)
* Monsanto consumes the product (Carbon Credits)
... and turns a profit at all both ends of the pipe