Neutralising Air Travel

The key benefits of reducing atmospheric carbon emissions are many and varied - but does this cost the Earth? Did you know that to offset your attendace at, for example, GIRO, all you need to do is buy one less pint of beer (or bottle of sparkling mineral water!). The table below illustrates how a simple contribution of £3 can help to offset the carbon impacts of your travel.

The decision is yours. Further information regarding carbon offsetting and actions that you can take are included below (keep scrolling down!).

Much debate has recently centred upon the role of the individual in helping to reduce the environmental burden by assessing and reducing their ‘carbon footprint’. The issue has further risen to prominence as the UK Government has initiated a plan to implement minimum threshold criteria for organisations offering this ‘service’. Oft used terms include carbon offsetting. But what does this actually mean? What steps and actions can feasibly be undertaken to neutralise the contribution to atmospheric CO₂ levels when you attend a conference? With the plethora of options available – how do you choose which option to go for?

What is Carbon Offsetting?

Carbon offset is an activity that compensates all or part of the CO₂ emissions of a party, by reducing the emissions—or increasing the carbon dioxide absorption—of another party. In essence for every tonne of CO₂ emitted an equivalent tonne is supposedly removed elsewhere. This reduces net greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

The broad appeal of becoming "carbon neutral" by effectively offsetting the emissions of an activity has no doubt contributed greatly to the growth of the voluntary offsets. Carbon offsetting has been in existence for over ten years. However, environmentalists have often criticised carbon offsets as a distraction from essential reductions in fossil fuel use, and forestry offset projects have been met with heavy criticism, drawing the benefits into question. Some might consider this as "paying to pollute"; it is certainly true that in the longer term we might question the location of our conference venues to avoid the pollution in the first place. On a more positive note, in the shorter term some argue that offsetting gives those minded to solve the climate change problem the opportunity to help.

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How does it operate?

Many organisations exist to sell carbon offsets to individuals or organisations who want to compensate for climate impacts from their air travel or other activities. Carbon offsets may be purchased from a variety of commercial and non-profit organisations for generally per tonne of CO₂. To place the figures into some degree of context, annual CO₂ emissions in industrialised countries range from anywhere between 8 to 20 tonnes per capita (see Table 1 below).

A plethora of offset actions are available and possible: the most common involve planting trees, and a suite of renewable energy and energy conservation projects. The latter set of schemes can be certified, sometimes as Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) credits, and sometimes in the form of allowances purchased from the carbon emission trading schemes (ETS) such as the European Union ETS.

According to the UK Government, offsetting involves buying emission reduction credits (or carbon credits) generated by projects that have reduced carbon emissions . In practice, offsetting involves two stages:

a. Calculating the amount of emissions to be offset from the activity carried out. The results of these calculations can be presented in the form of carbon, CO₂ or CO₂e (CO₂ equivalent) emissions, depending on which greenhouse gases have been taken into account. It is best to make these calculations using a standard metric to ensure consistent and accurate emissions are offset, and

b. Investing in projects that prevent or remove an equivalent amount of emissions from the atmosphere or buying and cancelling credits from such projects. For example, if a flight abroad on holiday has created 2.5 tonnes of CO₂e, a consumer can offset this by buying

2.5 tonnes worth of carbon credits. Currently, there are a wide range of different carbon credits available and these can easily be found via the internet

Trees

The most common offset involves trees. The practice could include re-creating natural forests (either by way of reforestation, or reducing/avoiding deforestation). The basis of these projects involve monoculture farming on logging plantations or other commercial purposes complementing the profit from selling offsets. The term 'reforestation' is nevertheless often used regardless of the practice

Renewable energy and energy conservation

Many of the renewable energy offset projects fund, amongst others, solar, wind, and biofuel/waste energy generation projects. Some funds provide training for developing country communities to produce alternative solutions for bio fuels.

A more recent initiative has involved the purchasing, and potential retirement, of carbon credits or allowances. The offset provider purchases a carbon credit quota, then retires the allowance to prevent other companies from purchasing the allowance to emit greenhouse gas. The aim of this is to reduce the supply of carbon credits and thereby drive to process by which to find the ‘true’ economic cost of carbon.

So what does this mean? What is MY carbon footprint?

We all have a carbon footprint – everyone contributes to climate change through their daily activities – through flying, automotive travel, heating your home, using electricity, and burning candles. According to Pure, each year, a modest household can emit over ten tonnes of carbon, and a car over four tonnes. That is enough greenhouse gas from one typical family to fill 14 hot air balloons. A single long haul flight emits as much carbon per passenger as the disposal of the average person’s entire annual waste . Various online calculators are available to estimate your individual and household contribution to CO₂ emissions.

What options are available to reduce my footprint?

If one undertakes an internet search for “carbon offset” there are a number of resources that advertise the capability and range of options to offset carbon emissions, for instance, per flight, or per household. Anyone can offset emissions, however, the general trend is for people in developed countries to invest in poorer countries. Providers are generally found in the UK, US, and Germany.

Many schemes are part of a voluntary and unregulated market, that has to date been criticised for its lack of transparency. The UK Government has recognised this as an issue and has now embarked upon establishing minimum criteria for such organisations. As of the 18th January, 2006, of the 60 or so companies offering offset services, only four have net the new guidelines: Pure, Global Cool, Equiclimate, and Carbon Offsets.

In summary the proposed new UK Code standards include the following criteria :

• The use of certified credits to offset emissions (under the Kyoto Protocol);
• Accurate calculation of emissions to be offset;
• Clear information for consumers regarding the mechanism and/or projects supported;
• Transparent pricing;
• Timescales for cancelling credits; and
• Companies offering offsetting at the point of sale with other goods and services should encourage consumer take-up (for example including offsetting as a ‘compulsory choice’ to be made or as a ‘default option’ included within the price of goods and services).

What are the costs involved?

Typically it costs an individual anywhere from £5 to £15 per tonne of CO₂, depending on type and location of project. To provide some context as to how this may relate to you :

• One single shorthaul flight produces roughly the same amount of the global warming gas as three months worth of driving a 1.4 litre car.
• A longhaul flight to the US (eg London to San Francisco) would result in 0.9 tonnes of CO₂.
• The annual emissions from a 1.4 litre petrol car travelling 200 miles per week equate to c2.7 tonnes per years. An engine of over 2.0 litres, generates c3.6 tonnes per year

The Carbon Neutral Company also provides an estimate as to the individual contributions on an annual basis from different geographical regions:

Table 1: This calculation takes into consideration how much energy is used in your country and divides it by the total population. The result? A figure that reflects how much carbon emission you, as an individual citizen, are responsible for. All factors relate to 2000 figures (Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT) version 2.0. (Washington, DC: World Resources Institute, 2005))

One of the key tenets of the UK Government’s carbon accreditation plan is to increase the transparency of pricing, To date there have been a number of certified and voluntary Emissions Reductions (CERs and VERs). Due to the (perceived) more rigorous nature, CDM credits (CERs) are often more expensive than VERs. As VERs become accredited we may see a convergence in pricing.

Who should pay?

The issue of payment is a complex one. Should the initiative rest with the individual, or in the case of business travel, the company. A rhetorical question, given that there is no ‘right’ answer. Some people may choose to expense the cost of the carbon offsetting, particularly for flights.

The Government themselves have begun to set an example in terms of offsetting. The UK has developed a Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF). This is designed to meet the commitment to offset carbon dioxide emissions arising from central Government official and Ministerial air travel from April 2006. This commitment was made by the Prime Minister as part of the wider UK Sustainable Development Strategy, which was launched in March

2005. The central feature of the GCOF is a portfolio of projects under the Kyoto Protocol Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which will deliver the required emission reductions. The portfolio will offset the total estimated emissions of participating departments and agencies for a period of three years, from April 2006 to April 2009.

The pros and cons of carbon neutralisation

It is important to remember that offsetting does not undo the environmental harm caused by CO₂, but can reduce the amount of CO₂ released. In addition, it can help to raise awareness and reduce the impact of anthropogenic actions. In itself this is not the answer to climate change. As mentioned above there are a number of environmentalists who believe that the concept of carbon offsetting effectively permits individuals to ‘pay to pollute’. However, a reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions can help the environment in a small way. As the body of users increases, one assumes the volumes of CO₂e gases being emitted (on a net basis) will reduce. Individuals can also participate in a number of alternative ways – see ‘Additional Actions YOU can take’ section.

The scientific community have raised the question as to the efficacy of planting trees to sequester CO₂ – do different trees capture more or less CO₂? Does the planting location (tropic/extra-tropics) make a difference? The answer to the first question is yes. Even within the UK there will be a difference between soft and hardwood trees. The geographical location argument is ongoing, and is as yet unresolved. Intuitively, the act of trees ‘soaking up’ CO₂ and subsequently releasing this as they decay or are burnt is less harmful than releasing the carbon stored underground as oil or coal. Additional carbon sequestration projects have been initiated by some of the major oil corporations (eg projects in the north Atlantic and North Sea).