Clients May Opt To 'Neutralize' Chartered Jet's Emissions
Warnings from leading
scientists of global climate change caused by human activity --
mostly the burning of fossil fuels -- are becoming more dire by the
day. As anyone who has paid the bill after topping the tanks in
their aircraft knows, airplanes aren't exactly miserly when it
comes to burning fuel. That's prompted at least one aviation
company to look for ways to capitalize on the situation.
ANN has learned Air Partner, touted as "the world's largest
aircraft charter broker," with operations in twelve
countries, has entered a partnership with The CarbonNeutral
Company. Through the program, Air Partner now offers its clients
the opportunity to offset their carbon emissions when chartering a
private jet.
"At Air Partner we recognize the environmental cost associated
with air travel and we are pleased to be the first private aviation
company to offer this type of program to our clients," said Philip
Mathews, president of Air Partner USA. "The CarbonNeutral program
is a first step in our commitment to tackling the effects on
climate change and a natural starting point for Air Partner to
focus on a strategy to take responsibility for our environmental
impact."
By paying a small percentage of their charter costs, The
CarbonNeutral program enables Air Partner customers to account for
their carbon emissions by supporting five climate-friendly energy
and technology projects. Air Partner says the projects are designed
to fully offset -- thus "neutralize" -- jet emissions by
saving 1 kilogram of CO2 for every kilogram of CO2 produced by the
aircraft.
"Air Partner’s CarbonNeutral program challenges the
critical issue facing the planet -– global warming -–
in a way which educates its customers and benefits local
communities in the short term," said Jonathan Shopley, chief
executive of The CarbonNeutral Company. "Air Partner’s
commitment is a significant step towards responsibility in the
private aviation industry."
Air Partner is working with the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon
Management, science partner to The CarbonNeutral Company, to
calculate the carbon footprint generated per hour per jet. The
calculations include the Radioactive Forcing Index, which accounts
for all aircraft emissions including carbon dioxide, ozone,
methane, and water vapour and nitrogen oxides.
According to Air Partner, some estimates show airline travel
currently accounts for about 13 percent of US-transportation-based
emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas responsible
for global warming.
"This new program is a way for us to address the concerns
towards climate change for our clients and vendors," said
Mathews.
FMI: www.carbonneutral.com, www.airpartner.com