It’s not always “the others”. All means of transportation and those who use them contribute approximately 20% to the greenhouse gas emissions that are changing the world’s climate. While CO2 emissions have receded in all other areas of the western world, traffic-related emissions continue to climb significantly throughout the world. Business travel plays a significant role in this. “It makes up 17% of the overall amount of traffic,” explains Ludger Bals, an expert from the Verband Deutsches Reisemanagement (German Travel Management Association). For example business flights: Hardly any air traveler considers that at circa eleven kilometers altitude, his or her flight generates up to 2.6 tons of CO2 per 100 kilometers – after all, the heavens are always blue and sunny above the clouds.

This is one explanation why climate protection is especially interesting for companies, and not only for image reasons. But many other people find “carbon offsetting” particularly attractive as well. What is carbon offsetting? Generally, at the time a flight is booked, the probable amount of CO2 that will be generated is calculated, plus an amount of money with which this amount can be neutralized somewhere else. This is made possible by the offers of “compensation partners”. Organizations like Atmosfair (www.atmosfair.de), myclimate (www.myclimate.org), Sustainable Travel International (www.sustainabletravelinternational.org) or Compensate (www.compensate.ch) calculate the exhaust emitted through travel by car, rail or air and organize measures to “compensate” for possible environmental damages. As a rule, the emissions generated are “converted” into financial support for climate protection projects according to the distance traveled and the means of travel used. This enables the use of energy sources in third-world countries to be significantly improved and thus, the emission of CO2 and other greenhouse gases greatly reduced.

Those who take advantage of programs such as these can answer the obligatory question, “How was your flight?” with the (still) unusual answer: “Environmentally neutral!”