carbon offsetting

Each time we heat our homes, take a flight or drive the car, CO2 is added into the atmosphere. CO2 is a greenhouse gas that is released when fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal are burnt. We can all take simple steps to reduce the amount of CO2 we produce, but we can’t reduce it completely. Charity Challenge has drastically reduced the carbon footprint of its UK operations, and are making a huge effort to do so in their destination countries too. We are also investing to offset the emissions from the international flights required to take part in our challenges. 

air travel and climate change

Tourism is the single biggest service industry in the world.(1) It accounts for 10.4% percent of the world GDP and 8.2% of total employment worldwide which is equal to 231.2 million jobs.(2) For many developing countries, tourism is one of the main sources of foreign exchange.(3) Therefore, reducing travel to these countries is not a long term solution to climate change. Any potential solution to global warming comes at a cost; investment in renewable energy, cleaner technologies, waste reduction processes, and so on.

For every participant taking part in a Charity Challenge or communitychallenge from April 2008 onwards, we will offset the emissions of their international flights. By joining up with Climate Care we will be investing around £70,000 over the next two years into projects within their portfolio, which involves renewable energy, energy efficiency, and forest restoration. The projects that we will be supporting are:

Rocket stoves – Honduras: Affordable ‘Rocket’ stoves in Honduras. They will replace wood-burning stoves, which are detrimental to the local forest and the health of most who rely on them. Tests have shown that each stove saves about 1.5 tonnes of CO2 a year by reducing unsustainable deforestation and improving combustion efficiency. Click here for more information.

Treadle pumps in India: Introduction of treadle pumps in India, using human power to pump water from wells, streams and lakes.  By using manual power instead of diesel, each treadle pump reduces diesel fuel use by 0.45 litres per hour on average, saving 0.65 tonnes of CO2 per year. Click here for more information.

Install energy efficient lighting – South Africa: Climate Care work with a number of partners such as municipalities, housing developers and local environmental groups across South Africa to install energy efficient lighting in low income households. By using less electricity, the compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) save these lower income families money on their bills as well as reducing CO2 emissions. Click here for more information.

Education about electricity in schools – Kazakhstan: In Kazakhstan the majority of electricity is generated from coal. Many of the power stations are inefficient producing a high level of greenhouse gas emissions for each unit of electricity used. Climate Care is providing energy efficient compact fluorescent lamps to schools, which raises awareness of the issues and each lamp is expected to reduce emissions on average by 0.4 tonnes of CO2 over their 8,000 hour life. Click here for more information.

Bio-fuel stoves – India:. An efficient stove uses less fuel wood. It uses crop waste, is easy to operate, safe for the family and reduces CO2 emissions. Crop waste is a renewable source of energy, replacing a fossil fuel. The new stoves cut CO2 emissions whilst reducing school fuel bills. Local farmers, who can now sell their waste to the briquette makers, also benefit from a new source of income. Click here for more information.

Wind turbines - India: Climate Care help build wind turbines to increase the generation of electricity produced without the use of conventional fossil fuels.  Each turbine generates approximately enough zero-carbon electricity each year to power the equivalent of 550 homes in the UK. Click here for more information.

Energy efficient light bulb – Island of Majuro: Climate Care are working to install energy efficient light bulbs on the Island of Majuro. The Island is under severe threat from rising sea levels due to global warming.  The 20,000 people on the island are dependent on imported diesel for their electricity supply. Most of this electricity is used for household lighting. Climate Care is working to install 10,000 highly efficient compact fluorescent lamps. Over its lifetime, each lamp is calculated to save the equivalent of driving up to 3,000 miles in a diesel car (at 50 mpg). Click here for more information.

Rainforest restoration - Uganda: . As forests grow they absorb CO2 and, if protected, store it over the long term.  This is not just about planting trees but recreating an ecosystem that will naturally regenerate. The replanting takes place in a forest within the national park, so has the best protection available in terms of conservation.  The benefits are storing CO2 as the forest ecosystem re-grows, restoration of indigenous ecosystems, increased habitat for wildlife and employment for up to 400 people. Click here for more information.

Biogas digester stoves – Rajasthan, India: Climate Care are introducing Biogas digesters in the area around the Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan, one of the most important tiger reserves in India.  Due to an ever increasing population around the park, great pressure is put on this precious habitat.  One of the most pressing problems is the need for wood - the main source of fuel for cooking in the area. The result is that wood is currently cut from the park more quickly than it is re-growing, producing an increase in CO2 emissions. The project will reduce demand for wood through the installation of subsidised biogas digesters.  Householders fill these tanks daily with a mixture of water and cow dung, producing renewable gas for cooking. Click here for more information

If you want to learn more about Climate Care and offsetting, please click here.