The Carbon Offset Con
Holidaymakers are being misled by companies who guarantee to repair the damage flights do to the atmosphere, according to a report by Clean Air-Cool Planet.
The report claims it is not possible to state categorically that buying any “carbon offset” will neutralise the damage that flying causes to the atmosphere.
The study found that only eight out of 30 providers of carbon “offsets” scored more than a score of more than five out of 10 for the service they offer in taking carbon out of the atmosphere.
The report says the worst companies make it difficult for customers to establish whether what they do — planting trees, installing solar panels or making biofuels — would not have happened anyway.
Offsetting a ton of carbon can cost from £2 to £19, according to the study. But it claims that price is no guarantee of whether projects take carbon out of the atmosphere permanently, as offsets claim to do.
Adam Markham, chief executive of Clean Air-Cool Planet, which commissioned the study from independent researchers, said: “Some companies don’t know what they are talking about and some do not want to tell anybody what they are doingâ€.
You can read the report here.