Offsetting Carbon Emissions
Do you know what your 'ecological footprint' on the planet is - the impact that you as an individual make on the natural world and its resources?
We are aware that many people travel to their project site by plane and we recognise the impacts of this. Air travel uses up large amounts of fossil fuels and is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.
In an effort to tackle climate change and reduce our environmental impact we have teamed up with Climate Care, an organisation that offsets the emissions from your flights by funding renewable energy, energy efficient and forest restoration projects around the world. The cost involved in offsetting is automatically included in your project contribution when you book an Earthwatch expedition. For volunteers flying from Europe, the emissions offset by Climate Care are calculated depending on whether your flight is short-haul, medium-haul, or long-haul.
Climate Care's projects currently include a project to introduce renewable power for cooking in schools in India; making fuel efficient cooking stoves available to some of the poorest communities in Honduras; and restoring rainforests in Uganda.
It is important to note that Earthwatch does not view this as a quick way to ease one's conscience. Offsetting carbon emissions is only part of our approach to tackling climate change and educational programmes to help individuals minimise their own impacts need to sit alongside these types of initiatives.