The airline industry has "a diverse and generally unsatisfactory attitude" to carbon offsetting, a report from MPs said today.
British Airways' offsetting efforts had been "risible", the report from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee said and added that airlines should make it easier for passengers to buy offsets as the scheme can play a part in mitigating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Carbon offsetting is the act of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, such as planting trees to compensate for air travel, and is voluntary in the airline industry. The committee took evidence from BA, Sir Richard Branson's airline Virgin Atlantic and from transatlantic all-business class carrier Silverjet.
The report said: "The three airlines were still not disposed to consider whole-hearted co-operation with the government over offsetting on account of the unexpected increase (by the government) of APD (the airport departure air passenger duty tax)."
The committee added that since BA's offsetting scheme was launched in 2005, it had encouraged the purchase of only 1600 tonnes of offsets on average each year - approximately the emissions from "four return flights to New York on a (Boeing) 777".
The report went on: "This is risible.
"The company clearly recognises this, and during our evidence session announced its intention to improve the prominence and accessibility of offsetting on its website from the beginning of May.
"At the time of our agreeing this report, this simple change had not been made."
The MPs said Virgin Atlantic offered no offsets of its own to its customers, nor did it point them towards an offset provider or allow them to calculate the emissions for their flight.
Silverjet was congratulated for its stance towards its own emissions, but the committee added that the company needed to do as much as it could to improve its carbon efficiency.
The Environmental Audit Committee chairman Tim Yeo MP said: "We are concerned that prospects for growth in carbon offsetting are being held back."
Climate change consultants CarbonSense said the report was "a missed opportunity to reappraise the benefits and drawbacks of offsetting".
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