Volume: 15  Number: 3  Page: 223–148  doi:10.2167/jost758.0

Research article

Voluntary Carbon Offsetting Schemes for Aviation: Efficiency, Credibility and Sustainable Tourism

Stefan Gösslinga, John Broderickb, Paul Uphamb, Jean-Paul Ceronc, Ghislain Duboisd, Paul Peeterse and Wolfgang Strasdasf aDepartment of Service Management, Lund University, Helsingborg, Sweden,and Western Norway Research Institute, bTyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, The University of Manchester and Manchester Business School, UK, cCRIDEAU, Université de Limoges, France, dTourisme Environnement Consultants (TEC), Marseille, France, eCentre for Sustainable Tourism and Transport, NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands and fSustainable Tourism Management, University of Applied Sciences Eberswalde, Germany

Tourism is becoming increasingly dependent on air transport. Recent scientific work has pointed out the significant and growing contribution of air transport to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Obligations to reduce GHG emissions under the Kyoto Protocol and post-Kyoto instruments might make transport more expensive or even restricted in the future. This paper examines these questions and the issues raised by the increasing number of organisations offering voluntary carbon offsetting schemes as a means of compensating for emissions of GHGs, mostly from transport, which could help to stabilise or reduce emissions. There are substantial differences between the approaches chosen by these organisations in terms of their calculation of emissions, compensation measures, price levels, company structures and evaluation processes. The paper discusses these differences and their consequences for the efficiency and credibility of voluntary carbon offsetting schemes. Within this increasingly contested area, there is general agreement that increased clarity and regulation is required.

Keywords: aviation, carbon offsetting schemes, greenhouse gas emissions, Kyoto, sustainable transport, sustainable tourism

Copyright © 2007 S. Gössling et al.

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