Why take Part?
Climate change is a serious environmental threat, with air travel being the fastest-growing contributor to the problem, and we all have a responsibility to limit our personal impact on global warming.
Poseidon believes passionately in the environment, and as such has searched for a partner to work with to not only give something back to the Marine Environment but to the Planet as a whole As you may be aware, air travel releases gases that contribute to global warming, such as carbon dioxide. In fact, your flight will be the largest environmental impact of your holiday. We’ve teamed up with an environmental organisation, Climate Care, to help you to repair the damage your holiday does to the climate. Climate Care funds sustainable energy and forest restoration projects that reduce carbon dioxide on your behalf, by the same amount as your share of the plane emits.
Examples include a project in India to help schools move on to renewable cooking fuel and a project in Uganda that is restoring the rainforest in Kibale National Park.
The cost of “offsetting your emissions” is just between £6 and £8.50. Would you like to make your holiday with Poseidon climate neutral? We will apply a supplemental payment to your holiday which will vary depending on where you are coming from, and you have the option to not pay it, to pay it and we will pass this on to Climatecare, or else to follow the link below and then pay Climatecare direct. We would appreciate you telling us when you book if you have made a direct payment to allow us to keep a record. To give you an idea of the amount
For more information visit – www.climatecare.org
The Cost
UK Guests - £8.50 per person (this is an average based upon Manchester departure)
Netherlands Guests - £6.00 or approximately €9 per person
This will allow you to offset the CO2 emissions from your flight
Embedded flight calculator
** check emissions yourself here... **
We are currently working on a carbon footprint for the company to offset not only the actions when you are here such as hotels, air conditioning, taxis etc. but also on our own core activities so that we as a company will also make a payment for our own emissions. We always offset the emissions incurred by Staff travel as it is important we set a good example!
Climate Care is a service that helps you to repair the damage your activities do to the climate. It does this by ‘offsetting’ the greenhouse gas emissions, such as CO2, from your activities by reducing an equivalent amount of CO2 on your behalf. These reductions are made through a range of projects in renewable energy, energy efficiency and rainforest restoration which not only fight climate change but bring benefits to communities round the world. You can offset emissions from flying, driving and household energy use.
Whats the issue ?
Pretty much every form of motorised travel generates CO2 (the main cause of human-induced climate change) but planes are the worst offenders. This is not just because of the sheer distances they travel, but because they release greenhouse gases high into the atmosphere. The statistics are frightening: two people taking a return flight between Europe and the US will contribute as much to climate change as an average household's gas and electricity consumption over a whole year.
How can we help?
Climatecare.org and other websites use 'carbon calculators' that allow travellers to offset greenhouse gases they are responsible for with a payment to schemes that reduce greenhouse gases by the same amount. These schemes include renewable energy, energy efficiency and forest restoration projects across the world, including India, Honduras, Kazakhstan and Uganda. We are proud to support the carbon offset scheme run by climatecare.org.
Climate Care has established an Environmental Steering Committee, which includes eminent environmentalists and NGOs to ensure that its offsets are delivered and are to the highest standards. An example of some of the Projects are below:
Examples of Climate Care projects
Efficient stoves in Honduras
Climate Care is working in Honduras to make fuel efficient cooking stoves available in some of the poorest communities. This supports conservation by reducing the wood needed for cooking. It also benefits the householders by removing smoke from the kitchen and dramatically cutting the health risk from wood smoke.
Each stove reduces carbon dioxide emissions by around 1.5 tonnes per year, compared to an open wood fire.
The project is expected to save 7,000 tonnes of CO2.
Renewable power for schools in India
Climate Care is funding a project to introduce school stoves that run off a new renewable fuel source, replacing stoves that use fossil fuel LPG. Crop waste is being used to make biomass briquettes for the stoves, providing an extra income to farmers. For the schools this is good news because the new renewable fuel is cheaper. The stove has also proved popular with pupils, who prefer the taste of the food!
This project is expected to save 11,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Human powered water pumps in India
Climate Care’s funding is helping to expand the availability of a simple and ingenious ‘treadle pump’, which can be used by farmers to irrigate their crops, replacing dirty and expensive diesel pumps. Crops can be grown all year round, helping farmers to increase their yields and stay on their land all year round without having to leave to find work in the cities.
Each treadle pump saves around 0.65 tonnes CO2 per year.
Restoring Rainforests in Uganda
Climate Care is funding part of a forest restoration programme in the Kibale National Park in Uganda. The project aims to re-create a rainforest canopy by planting and managing 30 species of local trees. The area is an important wildlife habitat – with one of the highest number of primate species in the world - and the project provides employment for local communities.
Each hectare of rainforest that is restored is expected to absorb 400 tonnes of CO2.
FAQs: Air travel and climate change
When I fly, am I contributing to climate change?
Yes. Aircraft operations generate greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), and other effects in the atmosphere linked to water vapour, ozone generation, methane reduction and cirrus cloud formation. There is now international scientific consensus that rising greenhouse gas emissions are leading to global warming.
What’s the overall effect of air travel on the climate?
The overall effect of air travel on the climate is greater than the CO2 that comes from burning aviation fuel, because the emissions are released high in the atmosphere. The calculations used by Climate Care take account of this– for more information see the report on calculating emissions from air travel on Climate Care’s website.
Am I offsetting emissions for the whole plane?
No. You are just paying for your seat. Emissions per person are estimated by dividing the total fuel used on a journey by the number of seats on the plane.
I pay a departure tax, so why should I pay Climate Care?
Air Passenger Duty is a passenger tax levied by the Government on all departures from the UK and generates almost £1 billion annually. However, the money isn't spent directly on mitigating the greenhouse gas emissions from your flight, whereas your payment to Climate Care is.
FAQs: Offsetting
What is offsetting?
When you buy a carbon offset, your money is used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions on your behalf. The emissions are reduced through projects that prevent the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, or absorb it through reforestation. The reduction made is the same amount as your flight releases.
How do Climate Care’s projects ‘offset’ the CO2 emitted?
Climate Care's projects avoid, reduce or absorb greenhouse gases through:
• Renewable Energy – energy creating no extra CO2 emissions
• Energy Efficiency - using less energy to reduce CO2 emissions
• Forest Restoration – absorbing and storing CO2
What is sustainable energy?
Most of Climate Care’s projects (80%) are in sustainable energy. These are projects that reduce or avoid emissions being released into the atmosphere. The types of projects include renewable energy and energy efficient technologies. Nevertheless, approximately 20% of emissions each year are from deforestation and forest fires, so Climate Care also makes 20% of their CO2 offsets in forest restoration.
FAQs: Climate Care
Who is Climate Care?
Climate Care Trust sells CO2 reductions, and funds projects around the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to tackle climate change. The reductions made balance our customers’ emissions, making customers' activities climate neutral.
Is Climate Care Trust a charity?
No. The founders of Climate Care felt that it is not the job of a charity to clean up others pollution. It is a service rather than a good cause.
The Trust is a company limited by guarantee, which means it has no shareholders. It’s corporate aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For more information, see www.climatecare.org.
Would the projects have happened anyway?
Climate Care is very careful only to fund projects that would not have happened without our support. In technical speak, they are “additional”.
How can I be sure that Climate Care’s projects are making the CO2 reductions that they claim?
Climate Care is scrutinised by an Environmental Steering Committee, which includes eminent environmentalists and NGOs, including WWF and Forum for the Future. To ensure that the projects achieve the CO2 emissions that they claim, the Committee requires them to meet three criteria for each project, these are:
• that a third party report be obtained
• that the CO2 reductions be monitored on an ongoing basis
• that any shortfall is made up through other projects
What about projects in the UK?
If we did projects in the UK, we would find that the carbon savings we made would be counted towards the government’s Kyoto target? – a commitment it has made to reduce emissions through an international treaty. By doing projects in countries without Kyoto targets, we can be sure that we are making extra carbon savings to what has already been promised around the world.
Where does Climate Care get its data for the CO2 emissions calculator?
Climate Care commissioned a report from the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University on the emissions from individuals’ air travel and the figures come from this report.
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