Can Carbon Offsets Help Your Carbon Footprint?
Flying is not the most eco-friendly way of travelling. “Flight shaming” is making people more aware of alternatives such as trains (much more comfortable – and interesting – in my opinion).
This has made a difference – however, on average, flights are increasing globally, spurred by budget holidays in foreign countries.
But sometimes you need to fly. Many people want to reduce their carbon footprint by doing something which will effectively make their trip carbon-neutral. An easy way to do this is to carbon-offset your trip.
Lots of companies sprang up to offer this service. But are they really helping?
What’s wrong with flying?
Airlines are keen to publicise that planes account for only 2 percent of global carbon emissions. That doesn’t seem like a lot.
And sometimes, there aren’t alternatives to flying, especially long-distance. And for people like me with a vast expanse of ocean between us and the nearest land, our choices are restricted to the occasional cruise ship, flying, or staying on the island.
However, planes are worse than most other forms of transport in terms of the impact of greenhouse gases per passenger mile. Plus, the processing and transportation of the aviation fuel, and the manufacture and maintenance of planes, airports and support vehicles all create extra carbon dioxide. The real percentage, therefore, is much higher – and generated by a relatively small percentage of the global population who fly regularly
That’s why carbon offsets are so popular for flying.
Can planes get greener?
That seems fairly unlikely. Newer planes are more fuel-efficient than older models, but it still takes a huge amount of fuel to get a plane off the ground, so even if biofuels could be used, vast areas of land would be needed to produce it. Electricity is currently not powerful enough to fuel take-off for commercial jets – although small solar-powered planes will become more common.
Budget airlines pack more passengers on each flight and typically have younger, more fuel-efficient fleets than longer-established airlines. However, the budget airlines have contributed significantly to the increase in the number of people flying as well as their frequency. (Cheap flights have encouraged more people to take mini-breaks abroad, sometimes more than one a year).
Business-class and first-class seats take up more space on the plane, thereby reducing the number of people who can fit on each flight, and thus creating more emissions per passenger.
OK, So What Are Carbon Offsets?
Call it penance: a number of travel web sites and non-profit groups sell carbon offsets designed to compensate for travel-generated emissions by reducing levels of greenhouse gases in some unrelated way.
Here’s how it works:
- You go to one of several carbon offsets sites on the internet and use an online “carbon calculator” to determine the approximate amount of carbon dioxide produced when you drive, fly or otherwise burn fossil fuels.
- You buy carbon offsets by donating money for projects that promise to either produce energy without burning fossil fuels or to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
- Typically the price is anywhere from $5 to $50, depending on the length of the trip and the form of transportation.
- That money then goes towards projects such as planting trees on protected land, creating renewable energy in developing countries, or replacing diesel with solar power to heat water in schools.
But are carbon offsets all good? Find out in my next article – it’s interesting!
Did you know? One long-haul return flight (Los Angeles to London) can produce more carbon dioxide per passenger than the average U.K. motorist on one year*
Next: What are Carbon Offsets, are they Good or Bad?
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* Netherlands Centre for Energy Conservation and Environmental Technology / DETR
Editor’s Note This article has been updated with new information since it was originally published.
I did not know that a company could sell carbon credits as a way to offset what a person uses? Once someone pays how do they know that the money will actually be used for the offset? Could it be used ofr other reasons?
Now go implement!
Great question Scott! Essentially, buying carbon offsets is like donating to a charity – you might know your money is going to help cancer but can’t nominate a specific project. Same with carbon offsets. In my next blog I look at the pros and cons on offsetting (and your query is answered there too, and I finish off with what you can do to help when you fly – like when you’re lucky enough to go to Hawaii!
I can’t imagine myself not flying any more…
Thanks for all the information you share in your eco-friendly blog. I did not know about carbon offsets.
I hope one day that I can completely erase my carbon footprint. I would like to have a sailboat and get then when I get there. Unfortunately I have to do this work thing at the moment. I don’t like it any better than you do.
[…] If You Fly, Should You Buy Carbon Offsets? […]
Carbon offsets are something new and definitely worth looking into. Its good to see the information you’ve posted on the efficiency of flying.
Flying increase your carbon footprint. Many people want to reduce their carbon footprint by doing something which will effectively make their trip carbon-neutral.
[…] far better to look for greener ways to travel than carry on polluting and hope that carbon offsets will justify the damage. However, donating to a good offsetting scheme is better than ignoring the […]
If your title is about carbon offsets good or bad, it would be nice if your article addressed that, instead of having another article to read. CoolEffects.org is what I use, but I am not flying if possible.
Your comment is absolutely valid! Many of my readers were new to the concept of carbon offsetting, and by the time I explained that, the article was getting too long, so I had to go onto another article……
I don’t see that CoolEffects offer carbon offsetting, but you are absolutely 100% doing the right thing by flying less or not at all. We’re too accustomed to think of flying as a the best / fastest method of transport, but alternatives such as trains are not only more comfortable (more space, and you can move around), but they can sometimes be even quicker than flying when you take the waiting times and security checks into account.
Thanks for your comment!