CARBON FOOTPRINTS IN THE SKY

Can North South Travel continue to raise money for charitable projects in developing countries by selling cheap flights?

This is the ethical dilemma the directors of this unique enterprise are grappling with.

When North South Travel was founded in the 1970s, air travel was taking off in a big way, and imminent climate change unheard of. Indeed, many saw mass air travel as a way of bringing the world together and increasing global understanding.

North South Travel believes that flying brings huge benefits, to travellers and to host countries. But we are critically aware of the environmental dangers posed by the rapid growth in flying, the fastest-growing cause of climate change.

In an atmosphere of idealism, NST's profits have supported numerous grassroots projects in the developing world. That the company has survived the subsequent thirty years is a tribute to its success.

The directors now face a dilemma on how to proceed. Can continuing to raise money in this way be justified, when the very means of raising it is contributing to climate change? Africa is already suffering drought, flood and crop failure as a result of carbon emissions, and it is arguable that cheap travel contributes more to suffering than the help provided by grants to development projects.

But air travel won't just stop, nor will the need for competitive prices. So North South Travel ask customers to help offset their own carbon footprints by paying a voluntary carbon offset.

You can learn more about your carbon footprint by visiting www.climatecare.org