What's the problem?

Climate change is a serious environmental threat, and air travel is the fastest-growing contributor to the problem. Travel is regarded overall, as a global benefit, but believes we all have a responsibility to limit our personal impact on global warming.

How does it happen?

Human induced climate change – which results from increased ‘greenhouse’ gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere – is the greatest social, economic and environmental threat of this century.   It’s a problem mankind has caused mainly through our rapid exploitation of fossil fuels, and it’s a problem we need to solve with our collective intelligence, creativity, and humanity.

Pretty much every form of motorised travel generates CO2 (the main cause of human-induced climate change) but planes are the worst offenders. This is not just because of the sheer distances they travel, but because they release greenhouse gases high into the atmosphere. The statistics are frightening: two people taking a return flight between Europe and the US will contribute as much to climate change as an average household's gas and electricity consumption over a whole year.

The greenhouse effect - some basics

The earth’s atmosphere, like our own bodies, cools or warms until the energy ‘inputs’ (radiation from  the sun) are in balance with energy lost through cooling. Certain gases in the atmosphere (called Greenhouse Gases or GHGs) act like feathers in a duvet – they trap and hold heat in the atmosphere and influence the temperature at which the global atmosphere is in balance.  The more GHGs in the atmosphere, the higher the global temperature (the more feathers in a duvet, the warmer it is).

What is the impact of climate change?

Losses from natural disasters are doubling approximately every 10 years and could reach about $150 billion in 10 years. 

The consensus from the 2005 Conference of Scientific Experts was that a temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels may trigger melting of the Greenland ice cap. To have a high probability of not exceeding this 2 degree Celsius limit, atmospheric CO2 concentrations should stay below 400ppm. This threshold could be breached in 10-15 years at the current rate of increase in global emissions.

Those least able to cope with climate change – developing countries – are likely to be among the most affected. It will further reduce access to drinking water, negatively affect the health of those living in poverty, and will pose a real threat to food security in many countries. If the Greenland ice sheet melts, the sea level rise would be so dramatic that the map of the world would change substantially.

“The impacts of climate change are not evenly distributed – the poorest countries and people will suffer earliest and most.  And if and when the damages appear it will be too late to reverse the process.  Thus we are forced to look a long way ahead.”

What is Responsible Travel?

Responsible travel is about minimizing your impact and maximizing your connection with people and the environment. It's about making a positive contribution and having the most rewarding and inspiring travel experiences of your life.

Responsible tourism can be more-or-less defined as travel that takes into consideration the 'triple bottom line' issues of:

Environment: travel that minimizes negative environmental impacts and, where possible, makes positive contributions to the conservation of biodiversity, wilderness, natural and human heritage.

Social/Cultural: travel that respects culture and traditions and fosters authentic interaction and greater understanding between travelers’ and hosts.

Economic: travel that has financial benefits for the host community and operates on the principles of fair trade.

Traveling by the responsible travel ethos is one of the most direct and personal ways you can make a difference to some of the biggest issues affecting our world: poverty and peace. Be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem - and have the time of your life doing it.