16 October 2009

Is The Tide Turning Against Offsets?

Excerpt from The Ecologist, 15 October 2009

'One of the first travel companies to offer carbon offsetting to customers has decided to remove the facility from their website Responsibletravel.com, which introduced an offsetting option in 2002, said the travel industry's priority must be to 'reduce carbon emissions, rather than offset'.'

Too often offsets are being used by the tourism industry in developed countries to justify growth plans on the basis that money will be donated to projects in developing countries,' said responsibletravel.com managing director Justin Francis.

'Global reduction targets will not be met this way,' he added.

Mr Francis said his company was now advising its customers to fly less, travel by train and take holidays closer to home.

'We will continue to offer a more responsible choice of overseas holiday so that when tourists do fly they can 'make their holiday count' by choosing a more responsible holiday,' he said.

It is not clear whether other travel agents will follow responsibletravel.com's lead...'

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