Carbon Offsets Won't Offset Guilt Or Emissions, But is Flying to Copenhagen OK?

by Mike Smith · 2009-11-23 11:22:00 +0530
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A lot of people will be flying to Copenhagen. Delegations from 192 countries, activists from all around the world will have to burn a lot of carbon to get to the climate change conference. Guilt about flying will plague many. The contradiction between trying to cut emissions and at the same time creating a whole load of emissions is clear, but it must be allowable. Meeting together will be necessary to make legislation happen. Activists want to feel that their voices can be heard, and be there. Many will be taken ground transport to lessen their impact. But don't think that paying an extra fee when you book your flights to neutralize your guilt will make your trip carbon neutral. The Times reports that paying more for flights eases guilt, not emissions, and companies are starting to take notice.

They tell the story of Responsible Travel, a company who were one of the first to offer carbon offsets to travelers wanting to lessen the impact of their flights. That company has now canceled the program. The managing director explained, "The carbon offset has become this magic pill, a kind of get-out-of-jail-free card." He wants people to make more significant behavioral changes (like the 10:10 scheme perhaps). Yahoo and the House of Representatives similarly embraced this thinking, concluding that money allocated for offsets would be better spent on improving their buildings' efficiency. Of course, donating money to balance the impact of the emissions you help create can be done, but a fee in the region of $200-300 dollars would be required to offset for a flight to London, something few are prepared to pay. And quite simply, no amount of money will make our insatiable appetite for air travel sustainable.

Let's seek long-terms solutions at Copenhagen, and not let flights there and back be the only news worth reporting when the conference ends.

Photo credit: Bob McInns

Mike Smith
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