Carbon pollution and jet travel
Trinidad Express
Petroleumworldtt.com
03 30 08
While
Britain's eco-conscious Prince Charles opted for
a 246-foot mega yacht instead
of a private
jet for his Caribbean tour, the T&T Government
has already allocated funds for the acquisition
of a long-range aircraft.
Caribbean Airlines chairman Arthur Lok Jack confirmed
last week that the executive private jet being
acquired by the State-owned airline will be a state-of-the-art
Bombardier Global Express XRS - the same model
type in which Prime Minister Patrick Manning participated
in a test flight to Antigua in September 2006.
Prince Charles' Caribbean travel
arrangements - travelling to T&T on a commercial
flight and using a yacht would have reduced his
carbon
footprints. A carbon footprint is a measure of
the impact on the environment due to carbon dioxide
emissions and is typically measured in tonnes CO2.
In a recent statement announcing
the visit, Clarence House said the tour aboard
the Leander, a yacht
rented from British businessman Donald Gosling,
would "advance key British government priorities
in the promotion of sustainable development, environmental
protection and youth opportunity." The conversion
of the Prince's Jaguar and Land Rover to run on
biofuels is also aimed at this objective.
Meanwhile, news of plans to buy a US$60 million
jet by State-owned Caribbean Airlines follows promises
by Prime Minister Patrick Manning that he would
deal with the problem of Green House Gas (GHG)
emissions. Following a visit to Uganda last year
when he attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting, Manning said then that Trinidad and Tobago
could find itself very hard hit by the provisions
of the Kyoto Protocol if the country did not address
the question of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the international
Framework Convention on Climate Change with the
objective of reducing GHG that cause climate change.
It was agreed on December 11, 1997, at the third
Conference of the Parties to the treaty when they
met in Kyoto, and entered into force on 16 February
2005.
Recently during the launch of the
Fifth Summit of the Americas at the Hyatt Regency
in Port of
Spain, Manning said: "There is need for expedition
on the post Kyoto process and our Summit must play
its inevitable role towards this end. The very
preservation of life on the planet is at risk."
He added: "We cannot continue
to move in a leisurely fashion towards an internationally
acceptable formula for the reduction of carbon
emissions; one that takes into account the responsibilities
and needs of all, small and large, developed and
developing."
According to 2004 data from the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change, the GHG
emissions from international aviation has been
increasing at higher rates than of other arms of
the transport sector.
"The GHG emission from international aviation
have grown 86.1 per cent between 1990 and 2004,
with an increase of 7.5 per cent between 2003 and
2004 meaning that the contribution of the sector
to global emissions is rapidly increasing," the
UN report stated.
A flight from Piarco to Heathrow in London - approximately
4,411 miles - can produce 1,721 lbs of carbon dioxide
per passenger.
Currently, GHG emissions from international commercial
flights are not subject to any limits; the Kyoto
Protocol does not accommodate it so there are no
legal obligations to curb emissions from aircraft.
However, most of the leading airlines offer passengers
the chance to offset the carbon emissions from
their flights. And as of February 1, 2008, new
aircraft buyers from Bombardier were given the
option to take part in a carbon-offset programme
managed by UK-based Climate Care. A press release
on the company's website said the cost to offset
one year's average carbon emissions from the aircraft
will be included in the aircraft's purchase price.
"The funds will be invested through Climate
Care in green energy projects to reduce an equivalent
amount of carbon. As part of its commitment to
deliver high quality products and services in an
environmentally responsible way, Bombardier is
enrolling its demonstration fleet and Parts Express
aircraft in the Climate Care carbon offset programme,
an annual investment in excess of approximately
US$250,000," the company said.
Caribbean Airlines also has a carbon-offset programme
- through its Carbon Neutral programme.
Caribbean Airline's marketing director Francois
Pariseau, noting that the business jet market is
seeing gigantean growth, with a peak of $13.8 billion
deliveries in 2006, said the state-owned airline
was the first air carrier in the region to offer
passengers the opportunity to offset airline carbon
emissions by investing in eco-friendly projects
such as renewable energy and reforestation.
"Passengers can participate in Caribbean
Airlines' quest to "go green" with the
CAL Carbon Neutral flight plan, designed in accordance
with the Carbon Neutral protocol, the leading standard
and quality mark for action on climate change," he
said.
While Pariseau could not give a measurement of
the carbon print left by a Bombardier XRS, he advised
that Caribbean Airlines customers can use the website
www.caribbean-airlines.com to calculate flight
emissions based on their destinations.
"In 2008 Caribbean Airlines will work more
closely with projects more relevant to the Caribbean
region and we hope to promote these projects, their
objectives and results making more appealing to
our passengers to voluntarily participate in our
Carbon Neutral programme," Pariseau added.
Story by Kristy
Ramnarine from
The Trinidad Express, South Bureau
-kramnarine@trinidadexpress.com
The
Trinidad Express
Sunday, March 9th 2008
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