Climate Care press information

Transcription

1 Wh is Climate Care? Climate Care press infrmatin Climate Care is an rganisatin that sells carbn ffsets. It tackles climate change n behalf f individuals and businesses by funding prjects that avid, reduce r absrb greenhuse gases such as carbn dixide (CO 2 ). What is carbn ffsetting? Many human activities cntribute t climate change. Flying, driving, heating and pwering ur hmes and wrkplaces all burn fssil fuels and this releases greenhuse gases, such as carbn dixide (CO 2 ) int the atmsphere. Fr a small payment, Climate Care will reduce an amunt f CO 2 equivalent t that which yur activity releases carbn ffsetting. Offsetting yur carbn ftprint cmplements effrts t reduce it. It is a key tl fr building carbn-respnsibility int everyday life. Our histry Climate Care was funded in 1998 by ec-entrepreneur Mike Masn. Since then, Mike has gne n t set up businesses in renewable energy in the UK. Our apprach has been guided by an Envirnmental Steering Cmmittee, which includes envirnmental experts and representatives frm envirnmental NGOs: Sir Crispin Tickell (Chair) David Aern-Thmas (Frum fr the Future) Kirsty Clugh (WWF) Prfessr Jeff Burley (frmer head f the Oxfrd Frestry Institute) Jhn Ashtn (Freign Secretary s Special Representative fr Climate Change ) Dr Steve Cbb (Envirnment and Develpment Grup) The cmpany is nt a charity since the funders felt that the rle f reducing pllutin is nt a charitable rle; rather it is a service. Climate Care is a cmpany limited by guarantee and has n sharehlders. Our prjects Climate Care ffsets emissins thrugh a range f prjects. These can be in: Renewable energy this replaces nn-renewable fuel such as cal Energy efficiency this reduces the amunt f fuel needed Frest restratin this absrbs CO2 frm the atmsphere as the trees grw Sme examples f ur prjects fllw. Last updated: 03/10/2006

2 Efficient stves in Hnduras Our prject is wrking in Hnduras t make fuel efficient cking stves available in sme f the prest cmmunities. This supprts cnservatin by reducing the wd needed fr cking. It als benefits the husehlders by remving smke frm the kitchen and dramatically cutting the health risk frm wd smke. Each stve reduces carbn dixide emissins by arund 1.5 tnnes per year, cmpared t an pen wd fire. The prject is expected t save 7,000 tnnes f CO2. That s equivalent t taking ver 2000 cars ff the rad fr a year. Renewable pwer fr schls in India We are funding a prject t intrduce schl stves that run ff a new renewable fuel surce, replacing stves that use fssil fuel LPG. Crp waste is being used t make bimass briquettes fr the stves, prviding an extra incme t farmers. Fr the schls this is gd news because the new renewable fuel is cheaper. The stve has als prved ppular with pupils, wh prefer the taste f the fd! This prject is expected t save 11,000 tnnes f CO2 emissins. That s equivalent t 7,000 fewer return trips frm Lndn t New Yrk. Restring Rainfrests in Uganda We are funding part f a frest restratin prgramme in the Kibale Natinal Park in Uganda. The prject aims t re-create a rainfrest canpy by planting and managing 30 species f lcal trees. The area is an imprtant wildlife habitat with ne f the highest number f primate species in the wrld - and the prject prvides emplyment fr lcal cmmunities. Each hectare f rainfrest that is restred is expected t absrb 400 tnnes f CO2. That s equivalent t the annual emissins frm 80 average sized UK hmes. Each f ur prjects underges a prcess t mnitr and verify the CO 2 reductins we make frm them. This is dne by an independent third party. 2

3 UK prjects We d nt run prjects in the UK r ther cuntries with a legally binding internatinal Kyt target t reduce greenhuse gas emissins. If we did, the CO 2 reductins we made wuld be cunted twards the gvernment s Kyt targets. Our apprach means that we make extra CO 2 reductins t what has already been cmmitted t acrss the wrld. All f ur prjects are verseas in the develping wrld, where there are n legal bligatins t reduce greenhuse gas emissins. Wh buys carbn ffsets? Individuals Peple can wrk ut and ffset their CO 2 emissins nline at which has carbn calculatrs fr hme energy use, driving and flights. Each year, visits t ur website have increased, as shwn. Offsetting is currently nt that expensive, relative t the cst f the activities that prduce the CO 2. Fr example t ffset a single return trip t Alicante in Spain (which creates 0.33 tnnes CO 2 ) csts 2.50 with Climate Care. 500, , , , ,000 0 Web visits per year 2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 Business We wrk with ver 100 businesses that ffset emissins frm many surces, including: Air Travel Day-t-day peratins Events Prducts and Services A full list f peple we wrk with can be fund n the Fr Business sectin f Cmpanies we wrk with include Business in the Cmmunity, The C-perative Bank, Interface Eurpe Cl Carpet, What Car? Travel cmpanies We partner with a number f travel cmpanies wh ffer their custmers the chance t ffset the emissins frm their flights. Our travel partners include: British Airways Explre Wrldwide Lnely Planet and Rugh Guides RespnsibleTravel.cm 3

4 Sme rganisatins we wrk with: 4

5 Vital statistics Business & Sales: Our turnver has dubled year n year and in 2005 ttalled 568,000. In 2005, we sld 99,000 tnnes f CO 2 ffsets. 84% f Climate Care s nline carbn ffset sales was fr air travel. The number f carbn ffset sales frm individuals increased mre than tenfld since the beginning f % f ur ffsets are sld thrugh ur business partners and 30% thrugh individuals using ur n line calculatrs. Prjects: 80% f ur CO 2 reductins are made in sustainable energy prjects; renewable energy r energy efficiency. In 2005, 60% f ur expenditure went t prjects. Climate change: In just 200 years, the amunt f carbn dixide in the atmsphere the majr gas that causes climate change has increased by 30 per cent. climatechallenge.gv.uk Cncentratins f greenhuse gases are nw higher than at any pint in the past 800,000 years. climatechallenge.gv.uk Over the past century, average near-surface glbal temperatures have risen by 0.7 C. climatechallenge.gv.uk The ten warmest years n recrd have all been since Six f the ten warmest years n recrd in the UK were between 1995 and climatechallenge.gv.uk In Eurpe, the August 2003 heatwave was prbably the httest fr at least 500 years. climatechallenge.gv.uk During August 2003, the httest temperature ever recrded in the UK was taken in Brgdale in Kent. It was 38.5 C. climatechallenge.gv.uk Between 4 and 13 August 2003, ver 2,000 peple in the UK died as a result f the heat. climatechallenge.gv.uk The autumn and winter flds in 2000 in the UK were the wrst fr 270 years in sme areas. Flding n farmland cst the farming industry nearly 500 millin. climatechallenge.gv.uk Mst f the wrld's endangered species -- sme 25 percent f mammals and 12 percent f birds -- may becme extinct ver the next few decades as warmer cnditins alter the frests, wetlands, and rangelands they depend n, and human develpment blcks them frm migrating elsewhere. UN Framewrk Cnventin n Climate Change. The UK gvernment's chief scientist Prfessr Sir David King warned The Earth is likely t experience a temperature rise f at least 3C putting 400 millin mre peple at risk f hunger, destry majr frest systems and wreck half the wrld's wildlife reserves. news.bbc.c.uk Annual lsses frm the three majr strm types affecting insurance markets culd increase by tw thirds t $27 bn by 2080.The Financial Risks f Climate Change, Assciatin f British Insurers 5

6 Climate Care explding sme myths Myth 1: Carbn ffsetting means planting trees When carbn ffsets began, tree planting was the main way that peple ffset emissins. These days, best practise in carbn ffsetting is generally cnsidered t be investing in sustainable energy prjects that cut emissins in the first place such as renewable energy and energy efficiency. Climate Care was the first carbn ffset rganisatin in the UK t take this apprach. Currently 80% f ur carbn reductins are made in sustainable energy prjects. We still make 20% f ur CO 2 reductins thrugh a frest restratin prject. This is because glbally, arund 20% f greenhuse gas emissins are thrugh defrestatin r frest fires. Myth 2: Carbn ffset tree-planting prjects lead t mncultures and have negative impacts n lcal cmmunities Climate Care has ne high-quality frest restratin prject in Uganda. This is replanting 30 indigenus species f tree in rder t restre a rainfrest canpy in Kibale Natinal Park. This allws the natural ecsystem f the existing frest t recver, and expand int the newly replanted areas. The frest will absrb CO 2 frm the atmsphere as it grws. The prjects als prvides emplyment fr up t 400 lcal peple and helps bst ec-turism in the area. The prject is als supprting cnservatin by recreating habitat fr wildlife. The area has ne f the highest number f primate species in the wrld. Myth 3: Carbn ffsetting desn t make a difference t climate change T tackle climate change we need t make deep cuts in greenhuse gas emissins arund the wrld. Carbn ffsetting thrugh Climate Care makes real greenhuse gas reductins that wuld nt have happened therwise. It als helps peple t quantify and understand better the impacts f their activities n the climate. Myth 4: Carbn ffsetting just gives peple an excuse t carry n plluting when they shuld be changing their behaviur. We are nt aware f any evidence t suggest that ffsetting their emissins means that peple are less likely t take ther measures t reduce their emissins. In fact, in ur experience carbn ffsetting is ften part f a mixture f measures that peple take t reduce their impact n the climate. As an example, in a recent survey f ur nline custmers, ver 90% had dne ne r mre f the fllwing t reduce their carbn ftprint : made their hme mre energy efficient, switched t green electricity, driven less, flwn less. Furthermre, fur ut f five f thse surveyed said it was the first time they had measured their carbn emissins, and the same prprtin agreed that ur website calculatrs had increased my understanding f my wn impact n climate change. Further infrmatin 2005 Annual Reprt: this can be dwnladed frm the Abut Us sectin f ur website ( r cntact us fr a hard cpy. Fr further infrmatin, please cntact: Michael Buick, michael.buick@climatecare.rg,