2020-04-01_Business_Traveller_UserUpload.Net

33

APRIL 2020

SUSTAINABILITY

JAG_CZ/ISTOCK

Howdoes

offsettingwork

anddoesit

mitigatethe

damagecaused

byaviation? B

y now,we’veallheardthat

climatechangeis happening.

Whetherweagreethatit should

betermeda climateemergency

ornot,wewillalsobeaware

thatit is beingcausedbyhuman

activities,andthoseinclude

transportandaviation.Whetherit’s

bushfires,floods,meltingiceortheextinctionofspecies,

theplanetis warmingandthevulnerablearesufferingas

a result.Sowhatshouldwedoaboutit?

Carbonoffsettingseemstoofferoneanswer,andis

certainlyonethattheairlinesarepushing,withEasyjet

offsettingallflightssincethebeginningofthisyear,

andBritishAirwaysandAirFranceoffsettingdomestic

flights.There’sa catch,however,because– aswithmost

complicatedthings– offsettingstartssimpleandquickly

getsmorecomplex.

HOWITWORKS

First,thesimplebit.Offsettingis achievedbycalculating

thevolumeofemissionsfroma flight.Forevery1kg

ofjetfuelburntintheoperationalphaseoftheflight,

approximately3.15kgofcarbondioxideis releasedinto

theatmosphere.Usingoneofthemanydifferentonline

calculators,youthenpaytooffsettheseemissions.

Whicheverprogrammeyouusewilltakeyourmoney

andpurchasecarboncreditstothatamount.Carbon

creditsarethenusedbyprojects– typically,planting

trees– thatreducetheemissionofgreenhousegases.

The3.15kgofcarbondioxideper1kgofjetfuel

quotedaboveis anaverage.Mosttoolsnowtakeinto

accounttheaircraftyouareflyingon,thedistance

travelled,theaveragewindspeeds,theloadingof

passengers,baggage,andthecargoontheaircraft.

Calculatorsusehistoricfuelconsumptiontoderivea

figureforcarbondioxideperpassengerkilometre.They

alsotakeintoaccountwhatclassyouaretravellingin

becausethein-flightfacilitiesprovidedforfirstclass,

businessclassandpremiumeconomydifferfromthose →

OFFSET

DEBATE

THE

businesstraveller.com