36 tonnes of carbon

Accounting firm KPMG says that the Green Technology is now the third largest sector for venture capital investment. I believe it. Sustainability is big news in London. Not a day goes by without a news story or advertisement focused on the reduction of carbon emissions. There’s even a website available where you can calculate your carbon footprint, make an offset payment and receive a certificate confirming your now carbon neutral status.

On whim I had a go at calculating my carbon footprint. My footprint is estimated to be 35.68 tonnes of CO2 per year. At least 70% of this total (25.60 tonnes) is created by the many business and personal flights I make each year. Unsurprisingly, my contribution to global warming is about three times the average for a UK resident. However, were I not to fly for a year, my footprint would fall below the national average.

I was curious to set how much it would cost to offset my carbon footprint. Two options were offered by this site. £257.70 offsets 36 tonnes of carbon by planting native broad leaved trees in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. Alternatively, £295.50 funds verified carbon reduction projects around the world. I was surprised to see how relatively inexpensive it was to offset my personal footprint, given its estimated size. If global warming truly is an impending disaster of epic proportions then I’d happily have a small carbon tax levied on my polluting activities.