Sustainable tourism specialist Responsibletravel.com has urged the travel industry to open up the carbon emissions debate by encouraging its customers to manage their overall carbon footprint.
Responsibletravel.com managing director Justin Francis claimed people would have to fly less in the future to help save the planet, estimating a reduction of up to 40% over the next 20 years.
However, he proposed people operating voluntary personal off setting schemes, setting themselves an acceptable level of carbon emissions annually that would allow them to continue to fly, even if it may not be as often as they might like.
For example, Francis admitted to flying at least twice a year, however, because he does not drive and keeps the thermostat in his home turned down that offsets the carbon produced by his flying.
“Whether or not to fly is the most difficult decision people are being asked to make,” he said. “It’s easy to recycle but flying is the acid test of consumers.”
Meanwhile, Francis criticised the cruise industry for being the “real bad guys of the travel industry” due to the large amount of fuel they burn. He said getting the cruise sector as a whole to embrace environmental issues “is the next challenge the industry faces”.
Francis said all operators in all sectors of the travel industry should be forced to reveal their carbon footprint, giving consumers the choice to go on more environmentally friendly holidays and use the most environmentally friendly suppliers.
See this week’s Travel Weekly for an in depth analysis of carbon offsetting, or start a discussion on the Green Debate forum.