By Jonathan Clarke
If you're concerned about your carbon footprint, there are a number of schemes that allow you to offset the carbon emitted.
Your airline will usually give you the option to offset your carbon cost when you book your ticket. The price is usually only a fraction of the ticket cost and the airline will have details on how your money will be spent.
An alternative to offsetting through your airline is to go directly to one of the large number of companies that provide solutions for people looking to be carbon neutral. Organisations such as the Carbon Neutral Company and Climate Care will work out your carbon cost and how much it'll take for you to be carbon neutral. It's not just for flights either; many engines can work out your annual carbon output and provide you with the chance to offset the entire lot in one go.
By Jonathan Clarke
Choose the company and the project that you go with carefully. It may seem counterintuitive, but some scientists say that simply planting extra trees isn't the best way to offset the carbon cost of your flight. Trees take years to grow and start soaking up carbon.
There may even be no guarantee that the trees that are planted aren't felled or burned later down the line. A programme that plants trees as part of a wider scheme to help an ecosystem will be a better investment.
Offsetting the carbon cost of your flights doesn't mean you should fly even more. The plane's emissions will still have an impact, but it does mean that you can live in the knowledge that you've made a positive impact elsewhere.
Carbon offsetting isn't a licence to create as much pollution as you wish, but is a way to minimise the impact of any you do cause. Take care looking for a good carbon neutral company and make sure that your money really will make a difference.
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