Green travel agency removes option for clients to offset carbon emissions

Responsibletravel.com has removed the facility for holidaymakers to offset their carbon emissions via its website after Friends of the Earth (www.foe.co.uk) labelled offsets as a 'dangerous distraction'.

Responsibletravel managing director Justin Francis said: We have thought long and hard about how we can continue to offer our customers the leading advice they expect from a responsible tourism business when it comes to the fast growing impact of flying on the environment.

""We believe that the travel industry's priority must be to reduce carbon emissions, rather than to offset.""

Instead, the company is offering holidaymakers 'carbon caution' advice and tips at www.responsibletravel.com/carboncaution.

Mr Francis added: ""Too often offsets are being used by the tourism industry in developed countries to justify growth plans on the basis that money will be donated to projects in developing countries. Global reduction targets will not be met this way.

""Ultimately we need to reduce our carbon emissions. We can do this by flying less - travelling by train or taking holidays closer to home for example and by making carbon reductions in other areas of our lifestyles too, alongside travel.""

Responsibletravel was one of the first companies to give customers the opportunity to offset their carbon emissions in 2002. It is now one of the first companies to remove the carbon offsetting facility from its website.

The decision follows a report by green campaigners Friends of the Earth, which said: ""Carbon offsets distract tourists from the need to reduce their emissions. They create a 'medieval pardon' for us to carry on behaving in the same way (or worse).""

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