From the bushfires raging in Australia to typhoons and volcanic eruptions in the Philippines, 2020 has faced environmental devastation on a mass scale and we’re not even into February yet.
And while sustainability and recycling are the buzzwords du jour when it comes to everything from fashion to how you drink your coffee in the morning, carbon emissions from air travel continue to be one of the most destructive factors at play.
Realistically, most of us aren’t going to stop travelling via plane and embark on cruise ships Titanic style to get us from A to B, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do your bit to help either.
Cool Effect, a US-based non-profit dedicated to fighting climate change has created a free online calculator that allows you to calculate the carbon emissions generated from flights you have taken.
It also shows you how much it would cost in dollars to offset these emissions, and allows you to donate this amount online at the click of a button. For example, a return flight lasting between seven to nine hours each way produces 1.32 tonnes of carbon, and would cost $10.61 to offset.
More than 90 percent of donations go directly to projects associated with fighting climate change. The other 10 percent is spent on fees to help the company cover credit charges, research and registration fees. And we think you’ll agree, it’s a small price to pay in the grand scheme of global climate change.
Photos: Unsplash and Instagram
