The Great Carbon Offset Myth
by Greg Hardwick
Why drive when you can fly and arrive in only a fraction of the time? How else are you going to visit that far away destination other than by the comfort of an aircraft?
With air travel being more affordable, more people are choosing to fly. As a result, air travel is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases. “Globally the world’s 16,000 commercial jet aircraft generate more than 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.”
Due to greater awareness of climate change, we are now seeing a host of ‘carbon-offset’ programs. We are also witnessing the rise of so called ‘carbon neutral events’ whereby we are told that the carbon produced in traveling to the event or powering a venue is offset by, for example, the planting of trees in some far off country.
In a sense, these carbon-offset programs are allowing us to continue doing what we’re doing. They are positives steps. But are they also just a quick superficial fix so we can feel good about ourselves? Should we be less willing to donate money and more willing to change our lifestyles?
Burning Carbon — The burning of fossil fuel emits various pollutants including carbon dioxide. An aircraft, for example, will emit carbon dioxide at ground level and when flying at altitude the exhaust also produces water vapour trails – known as contrails. The exhaust and water vapour (water vapour is the largest contributor to natural greenhouse gases) add to climate change by trapping more heat within the earth’s atmosphere. An aircraft, very efficiently delivers these greenhouse gases into the upper atmosphere.
Some facts:
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that is released when fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal are burned.
- Carbon offsets are programs designed to absorb carbon via the planting of trees or reducing carbon emissions from electricity production by funding renewable energy or energy efficiency projects
Comparing air and vehicle travel – A return trip from New York to London can emit roughly the same amount of carbon dioxide, per person, as driving the average family car for a whole year. With that in mind, shouldn’t we at least do something to reduce our impacts via offset programs?As Adam Ma’anit wrote in June 2006: “Offsets slot into the oil, coal and gas continuum – they do not challenge it.” I will discuss carbon-offset programs in greater detail in the near future, including what you can do to reduce your impacts.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
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