These 5 Airlines Have Introduced Carbon Offset Programs in 2024
By Beth Rush
As industries embrace sustainable practices, you might wonder how the aviation sector addresses climate change. Given their significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, airlines must empower customers to take action for the planet. Here are five airlines offering carbon offset programs this year.
What Are Carbon Offset Programs?
Carbon offsetting is the aviation industry’s solution to mitigate air travel’s environmental impacts. When aircraft fly, engines produce greenhouse gasses, impacting the climate. The goal of offsetting programs is not to reduce the harmful gasses produced while flying — it’s to invest in projects that reduce emissions elsewhere, which helps reduce global carbon dioxide emission levels.
When you purchase carbon credits for flights, you support reforestation projects or invest in renewable energy solutions, like solar panels and wind turbines. Many airlines worldwide offer emissions reduction programs, allowing you to pay extra to fund activities that compensate for emissions.
However, despite their availability, the voluntary nature of these programs led to low uptake rates. According to Haldane Dodd, Air Transport Action Group’s executive director, the numbers vary depending on the airlines. However, it’s “very low,” with fewer than 5% of passengers choosing to offset their emissions while flying.
Private jets also have carbon offset initiatives. Now, they are giving people options to evaluate them based on their program offerings. For instance, Part 135 passengers are informed about the risks of flying and allowed to select a carrier based on their preferred level of safety policy and programs, which may include carbon offsets.
5 Airlines That Offer Carbon Offset Programs
Discover airlines offering carbon offsetting initiatives.
Blue Islands
Channel Islands’s Blue Islands partnered with Durrell’s Rewild Carbon Program to reduce carbon, revive ecosystems, rebuild livelihoods and recover species. The airlines charge £1 per passenger to balance the emissions for all flights across their network. This additional charge is included in the headline price when searching for flights on their website.
Emirates
Emirates participates in the Swiss Emissions Trading Systems (ETS), EU ETS and UK ETS. It also committed to executing the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), which outlines accredited airline offsetting requirements. In addition to the airline’s emissions reduction programs, it boasts its Green Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to reduce engine taxi, optimize flap landing and prudent judgment on extra fuel, reducing fuel burn by more than 50,000 tons.
British Airways
British Airways is offering carbon removals for its passengers. This initiative is a part of the company’s goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. When booking a flight, you have two options to act on your emissions. You can help boost sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or purchase verified carbon offsets from climate projects, such as the Blue Carbon Mangrove Project and the Freres Biochar Project.
In this initiative, you can calculate your estimated contribution to carbon emissions and global warming and choose to buy SAF to reduce your impact.
Singapore Airlines
Environmental protection is at the forefront of Singapore Airlines’s mission. It launched its carbon offset program that allows you to calculate and offset your emissions through additional payment. The company vouches that 100% of contributions go to carbon offset projects in Asia, including rainforest preservation initiatives in Indonesia and solar power projects in India.
Singapore Airlines also offers sustainable paperware certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Using biodegradable alternatives can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease landfill waste.
Cathay Pacific
The Fly Greener program allows customers to purchase carbon offsets to help prevent carbon emissions and support eco-friendly initiatives. The price of offsets is based on the calculated emissions for your specific flight. Cathay Pacific’s carbon offset initiative is certified under the Gold Standard, ensuring all efforts are verifiable and credible.
They support projects, including the Bondhu Chula Cookstoves in Bangladesh, where only less than 20% have access to clean cooking. This initiative aims to help people using “three-stone” open fires that emit smoke and pollutants, contributing to almost 50,000 premature deaths yearly.
Which Airlines Stopped Carbon Offset Programs?
The rise of technological options prompted some of the biggest airlines in the world to stop carbon offset programs and focus their efforts on other eco-conscious activities.
Delta
The US-based airline committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In line with this mission, Delta aims to replace 10% of its jet fuel with SAF by the end of 2023.
Delta has also made improvements to its onboard offerings, including providing beddings made from recycled plastic bottles and reusable utensils. People in the U.S. use 5 million straws daily, so these efforts will reduce their onboard single-use plastic consumption and disposables by around 4.9 million pounds yearly.
The company discontinued its carbon offset program since it is still addressing 13 million metric tons of its emissions in 2020 through verified offsets.
JetBlue
The famous American low-cost airline committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2040. JetBlue used carbon offsets in 2008 but recently announced they’ll halt the initiative in 2023 to focus on using SAF.
EasyJet
In 2019, EasyJet implemented its carbon offset initiative, successfully offsetting around 8.7 million tons of emissions. The company stopped the program to focus on modern technologies, such as fuel-efficient aircraft and SAF.
Travel Sustainably
Protecting the environment is a collective effort, and you should do your part while traveling by air. You can help the planet by signing up for an airline’s emissions reduction programs.
About the Author: Beth Rush is the green wellness editor at Body+Mind. She has more than five years of experience writing and editing articles covering topics like sustainable transit and the importance of green spaces in urban planning. You can find Beth on Twitter @bodymindmag.
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