The Observer - 25.08.2019

• The Observer
  42 25.08.19 Focus

per person because their fl ights

tend to be fully booked.

John said he ensured

the Sussexes’ fl ight was

carbon neutral by making an

“appropriate contribution” to

Carbon Footprint , a consultancy

that helps reduce and offset

emissions.

Not everyone agrees. “The

term is misleading – it implies

you can equalise the emissions

and fl y carbon neutral,” said

Roger Tyers , a research fellow at

the University of Southampton.

“Basically, you emit carbon today

and even the best offset won’t

repay that debt for many years,

by which time a lot more dam-

age has been done.”

According to the UN , off-

sets “risk giving the danger-

ous illusion of a ‘fi x’ that will

allow our billowing emissions to

just continue to grow”. While off-

setting can be a useful temporary

measure, “it is not a silver bullet and

the danger is that it can lead to com-

placency,” said Niklas Hagelberg , a

UN climate specialist.

The problem is compounded

by carbon calculators producing

varying data on the amount of

CO 2 emitted by any particular

journey, and by disagreement over

the effectiveness of hundreds of

schemes – such as reforesting,

hydroelectrics and solar energy –

into which money is invested.

In any case, a recent survey by

the BBC found that only half the

world’s biggest airlines offer car-

bon offsetting to their customers –

and only 1% of fl yers choose to pay

the extra. Neither British Airways,

the UK’s national carrier, nor

American Airlines, the world’s big-

gest, run schemes.

Airlines must report their annual

CO 2 emissions, and the industry is

aiming to halve its carbon footprint

by 2050 by reducing emissions else-

where. With nearly 4.4 billion pas-

sengers taking to the air last year

and global aviation CO 2 emissions at

almost 900m tonnes, the challenge

is immense.

Jetset royals

Can you ever make your

fl ight carbon neutral?

Nevertheless, consumer con-

sciousness is rising, helped by

the Extinction Rebellion cam-

paign, the environmental activ-

ist Greta Thunberg’s zero-emission

boat journey across the Atlantic,

and the growing phenomenon of

fl ygskam – the Swedish word for

fl ight-shaming.

The latter is credited with an 8%

drop in the number of passengers

fl ying from Swedish airports

between January and April this year.

Meanwhile, France is introducing

an “eco-tax” of up to €18 on fl ights

from its airports, and the Dutch

carrier KLM has launched a “fl y

responsibly” campaign , even

suggesting train journeys instead of

short-haul fl ights.

I

n the UK – where a third

runway is planned for

Heathrow despite the

airport already being

the biggest single source

of CO 2  emissions in the

country – environmental activists

are urging people to commit to a

fl ight-free 2020.

“We accept air travel is part of

society and we’re not saying never

fl y again. We’re trying to start a con-

versation about how to reduce our

carbon footprint,” said Anna Hughes

of Flight Free UK. About 3,000 peo-

ple have already signed up and the

campaign hopes to enlist 100,000 by

the start of next year.

“People need to be informed

about the carbon impact of their

journeys. The problem with car-

bon offsetting is that there’s no such

thing as a carbon-neutral fl ight

however many trees are planted –

and it gives people a licence to con-

tinue behaving in the same way,”

said Hughes.

According to Tim Johnson of the

Aviation Environment Federation ,

“public interest is unparalleled. The

more people are encouraged to look

at their lifestyles [in relation to the

environment], the more the aviation

component of our activities stands

out. When you do the sums, you can

eat less red meat and turn the ther-

mostat down a degree or so, but

ultimately all those efforts will be

wiped out by taking a fl ight.”

Walker said he tried not to be

judgmental about fl ying but wanted

to encourage others to follow suit.

“If I can get 5% of my 500 mates on

Facebook to say they’re not going to

binge-fl y any more, that’s enough

to make a difference. Little things

should be lauded.”

Elton John and

David Furnish

paid for their

guests, the Duke

and Duchess of

Sussex, to fl y by

private jet. The

Cambridges,

right, used a

budget airline

last week.

Meghan and Harry’s

green credentials took

a hit with their use

of a private aircraft.

Harriet Sherwood fi nds

that offsetting CO 2

emissions – even

if Elton John pays –

is not a quick fi x

Environment

G

ope Walker has regu-

larly fl own to meet his

clients in countries

as far apart as Ireland

and Argentina. But in

2020 his feet will stay

fi rmly on the ground.

Walker, who runs an IT consul-

tancy in Oxford, has pledged to

make next year fl ight free. Instead,

he will hold virtual meetings or

travel within Europe by train. “I just

thought, this is something I can do.

We should all be asking ‘do I really

need to go there?’ From a business

point of view, I honestly can’t see

why I do,” he said.

The damage caused to the envi-

ronment by carbon dioxide emitted

from aircraft – and the dilemma fac-

ing those who want to reduce their

carbon footprint but also want to

travel – was highlighted last week by

Plane,

train

or car

‘You emit carbon

today and even the

best offset won’t

repay that debt for

many years’

Roger Tyers, academic

a row over the Duke and Duchess of

Sussex using private jets. The cou-

ple, who have spoken out about the

climate crisis – even publicly say-

ing they will only have two children

because of their concerns for the

planet – were accused of hypocrisy.

Elton John, who invited Harry,

Meghan and baby Archie to stay at

his home in the south of France,

defended booking a 12-seat Cessna ,

citing the need for security. But the

journey was estimated to have emit-

ted seven times more CO 2 per per-

son than a commercial fl ight.

Piling on the Sussexes’

discomfort was the emergence at

the end of the week of pictures of

his brother, William, disembarking

with his wife and children from a

low-cost commercial fl ight from

Norwich to Aberdeen. Budget

airlines are more carbon effi cient

CO 2 emissions
in tonnes from
the Sussexes
London-Nice
round trip by
private jet – and
the options

9.4
12-seater Cessna

0.26
Scheduled
airline, fi rst
class

0.17
Scheduled
airline, economy

0.6
Car (Range
Rover) 1,740
miles

0.02
Train 1,740
miles

Source:
1 BBC,
2 -5 Carbon
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