CLEAN & GREEN?

As the world`s leaders posture in Copenhagen, a UK report has been released slamming aviation. What convenient timing. BBC World news, in covering the relaease, assumes that aviation contributes `a lot` of greenhouse gasses. They would do well not to assume. Avaition only contributes about 3% of global emissions, way less then milk and meat farming for example.The report reckons that UK aviation can only grow by 60% in the next 4 decades if they are to achieve their objective of maintaining 2005 levels of emissions. This is equivalent to emissions reductions that are expected through savings from more efficient operations (30%), use of biofuels (10%), and a 1/3  reduction in business travel due to increased video conferencing. (Why can`t Copenhagen be a videoconference by the way?). It assumes that the cost of carbon increases to 200 quid per tonne to inspire these initiatives.

Many airlines now offer the option to customers to purchase carbon offsets for their travel. Expect that sooner rather than later this will become a standard inclusion in the ticket price rather than an option. After all, saving the planet is not optional.

At a May 2009 entrepreneurs’ brain-storming session in Auckland on how to break out of the recession, one idea was to offer free air travel to visitors prepared to commit to spending $10,000 in New Zealand. There could be another way to look at this idea which would also add value to our 100% Pure New Zealand brand. Perhaps if New Zealand can re-stimulate its recently stalled afforestation momentum the resulting carbon credits could be used to offset visitors’ air travel to this country. This might even provide formal trade-negotiating ammunition back at the likes of the United Kingdom’s recently introduced carbon tax on flying, in a way that would give us sustainable competitive advantage over other visitor destinations.

Admittedly the mechanics of how this might operate under an Emissions Trading Scheme would need some thinking about. But Forestry can help Tourism. These are the kinds of possible sectoral linkages that could and should be explored under a coordinated Green Brand New Zealand strategy.

Tags: 100% Pure New Zealand, clean & green, clean & green NZ, Clean and Green, clean and green NZ, Emissions Trading, Hopenhagen, Kaitiakitanga, にさんかたんそう

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 1:44 am and is filed under 100% Pure New Zealand, Clean & Green, Energy, Kaitiakitanga, Tourism, Transport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.