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Travel companies warned about effectiveness of carbon offsetting
Friends of the Earth has warned the travel industry to make sure they are implementing effective carbon emission schemes.
An increasing number of travel companies are putting emission trading schemes in place in a bid to combat global warming.
But speaking at a green debate at the ABTA Travel Convention in Marbella, executive director Tony Juniper warned that not all schemes were beneficial.
“A lot of these schemes focus on reforestation, but in countries where there are issues of land rights, people are being turfed off agricultural land to that someone can plant a tree to make themselves feel better about flying,” he said.
“Other offsetting schemes are being multiply sold, so that there is not actually any benefit. Offsetting can play a role but it needs to be regulated.”
Speaking from the audience, Colin Mackey from the government’s Office of Climate Change said within the next few months the government would be holding a consultation to develop official guidelines for the travel industry to end the confusion.
He said it would also be developing a calculator so companies can properly measure their carbon footprint and would be drawing up an official list of beneficial carbon emission schemes.
But Silverjet chief executive Lawrence Hunt, also in the audience, called on the Friends of the Earth to take the lead.
“If we wait for the government to do it, it won’t happen,” he said.
Silverjet is implementing an offsetting scheme when it launches in January, but Hunt said it had taken seven months to put in place.
“I was getting told 15 different carbon footprints from different companies,” he said.
Friends of the Earth’s Juniper said it was the government’s job to put together official guidelines.
“If we come up with our own calculations, there will be 16 instead of 15,” he said. “The government needs to put an end to all the chaos and I urge the industry to take a full part in this consultation.”
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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