The Air New Zealand booking process is a masterclass in upselling to the point of mild mistrust. To be fair, they’re better than many than other airlines and rental car companies. So what do you feel when presented with the choice to carbon offset?
Air travel contributes about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Terrifyingly, 50% of those emissions come from 1% of fliers, according to Kiri Hannifin, Chief Sustainability Officer at Air New Zealand. These fliers are nicknamed 'the polluting elite'.
My upcoming return flight from Christchurch to Queenstown on ATR planes costs $5.56 (no GST) to offset. Does that cover all my emissions and where does the money go?
Ms Hannifin is clear that my five bucks is “a contribution to a verified climate positive project”. Honest but not entirely comforting. You’ll get a more accurate assessment of your emissions if you drag and drop your e-ticket into GreenHalo or use an automated feed from Orbit World Travel (NZ) or similar corporate travel agent. These emissions have been certified through Air New Zealand by Toitū Envirocare.
Air New Zealand uses some of my “biodiversity donation” to support Trees That Count, managed by a charity called The Project Crimson Trust that plants natives across Aotearoa. It’s a bit like Givealittle with trees as currency.
Air New Zealand also purchases carbon credits from projects around the world via a web platform called CHOOOSE. The reality is that these credits are cheaper and trapping CO2 in Africa does the same job as at home according to Planet Earth. But it raises ethical questions about polishing up our dirty back yard with cheap international offsets.
Whilst some of Air New Zealand’s offset programme makes me squeamish, I still tick the box and sleep better at night. And at least they provide a level of transparency in this age of Greenwashing.
Chris Bailey
GreenHalo Founder
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