Off-setting scheme supported by Elton John 'will have no meaningful effect on climate change'
Greenpeace's chief scientist has said it is 'not okay' to claim that private jet travel is 'carbon neutral' as a result of a donation to a carbon offset scheme.
Sr Doug Parr told MailOnline: 'There's no way any current tech deals with the load of CO2 you've released on a personal level'.
Sir Elton John responded to criticism of Harry and Meghan's recent private jet vacations by insisting he had made a donation to offset the carbon cost of the trips.
The royal couple's return flights in private jets from England to Ibiza, and then from England to Nice, generated an estimated seven tonnes of CO2.
Sir Elton wrote: 'To support Prince Harry's commitment to the environment, we ensured their flight was carbon neutral, by making the appropriate contribution to Carbon Footprint™.'
Carbon Footprint is a UK registered company run by John and Wendy Buckley, which provides advice to individuals and businesses on how to reduce their carbon footprint, and channels funding to schemes designed to offset carbon emissions.
These projects include the planting of trees or the reduction of Brazilian deforestation.
According to Carbon Positive Life a single tree can absorb as much as 48 lbs (21.77 kgs) of CO2 per year, meaning it would take 321 years to absorb seven tonnes, although it could cost as little as £170 to offset.
However in common with many carbon offset firms, many of the schemes run by Carbon Footprint focus on other ways to put in place systems, especially in developing countries, which stop carbon dioxide - which would otherwise have been released into the atmosphere - from being released.
One scheme is focused on identifying and repairing broken boreholes in Uganda - so local communities get access to safe drinking water and, as a result, do not have to cut trees and burn firewood to boil and purify their drinking water in future.
Another scheme distributes efficient cooking stoves to villagers in Kenya, where more than 80 per cent of the population relies on burning wood and charcoal to cook, producing a large amount of CO2.
Carbon Footprint believes that scheme has helped more than 96,000 people, prevented deforestation, provided protection from lung cancer and reduced global CO2 emission by 17,970 tonnes of CO2 per year in comparison to where those levels would otherwise be.
Dr Parr said of the projects funded by the firm to which Sir Elton donated: 'They're not wrong things to be done, but they're not the answer that's meaningful in terms of the climate challenge we face.'
Source :
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7383133/Prince-William-wife-Kate-Middleton-children-seen-boarding-budget-flight-Scotland.html
Source :
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7383133/Prince-William-wife-Kate-Middleton-children-seen-boarding-budget-flight-Scotland.html
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