More travellers pay extra to offset CO2 emissions
More and more people are paying supplements on plane tickets to reduce and offset the environmental impact of their travel such as CO2 emissions. This is according to figures from Greentripper, an organisation that allows customers to make such a contribution to the climate.
On the organisation's website, travellers can calculate the CO2 emissions of their trips. The money they pay in is invested in climate action, such as reforestation projects, to reduce the impact of their trip. claims to have offset more than 28,300 tonnes of CO2 in 2023, more than double the amount in 2022. The organisation attributes this sharp increase to the growing importance of a more sustainable travel sector.
An average of 8.36 tonnes of CO2 equivalent were offset per contribution in 2023, for an average amount of 276 euros. The high average contribution is due to large orders from some companies on the website. Without these extremes, the averages would be 2.87 tonnes of CO2 and 89.94 euros.
Alternative modes of transport
A tool on the Greentripper website also allows travellers to compare the carbon footprint of their trip with that of alternative modes of transport. However, the price difference often remains a deciding factor for tourists: a Greenpeace study published last summer found that, on average, train travel in Europe is still twice as expensive as flying. On some routes, train travel is 30 times more expensive than flying.
Greenpeace has repeatedly called on national governments to introduce "climate tickets" to make rail travel more affordable than air travel. In April 2023, the European Council and Parliament reached an agreement on new emissions regulations for aviation in the EU. The ReFuelEU Aviation proposal aims to make aviation fuel use more sustainable in the coming decades and to "decarbonise" air transport in the long term.
© BELGA PHOTO BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM
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