Government To Offset Emissions From Official Air Travel

Commenting on the new scheme, John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government said: "The proposed approach to the offsetting scheme will seek to be optimal in terms of administrative efficiency and accountability and will have the added advantage of increasing awareness of the global warming implications of air travel among official travelers and their Departments and Offices."

A unique aspect of the approach is that emissions from the Government's passenger aircraft will also be required to be offset.

Mr Gormley, in noting that emissions offsetting does not in itself prevent emissions of greenhouse gases, added that "the scheme provides a framework to understand the sources and possible solutions to climate change by raising awareness, allowing for capacity building, and by providing direct or indirect support for sustainable projects."

"The development of this approach recognises that there are some emissions that are unavoidable in the course of ongoing business activity and enables the Government to demonstrate leadership in offsetting official and business air travel." he concluded.

The scheme will require each official flight to and from Ireland to be recorded, CO2 emissions to be calculated based on the total air miles or kilometres traveled, and the total offsetting cost calculated based on a set price per tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted, the price of which will be determined by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on an annual basis.

It is proposed that the value of the total offsetting requirement for the year will be invested on behalf of Ireland by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) in renewable energy and energy efficiency offsetting projects in one or a number of Ireland's priority least-developed countries.