Jim Eagles isn't going to buy carbon offsets when he flies. His article explains why. He has an alternative strategy which makes alot of sense to us:
Rather than paying up to offset any greenhouse gases emitted by planes I fly in, I plan to do my best to fly on airlines which follow international best practice, thereby both reducing my carbon footprint and in a small way encouraging other airlines to do better.
It so happens that there Air NZ has a very good case. It has a young and fuel-efficient fleet. It has used new techniques, such as weight reduction, flying patterns and greater use of ground power, to achieve significant reductions in carbon emissions. And it is part of an international effort to develop a sustainable aviation biofuel.
Those are serious steps which will reduce the amount of damage done to the planet without imposing any unnecessary burdens on travellers.
Encouraging that sort of behaviour by airlines makes a lot more sense than forking out $4.50 conscience-money every time you make a business trip to Wellington.
