Are carbon offsets enough to tackle the climate crisis? This tour operator doesn't think so

One of the most climate-conscious travel operators is axing carbon offsets as part of a new climate action plan worth €1.13 million a year.

Intrepid Travel, which has been carbon neutral since 2010 and is a certified B Corp, says it has failed to meet "unreachable" emission targets due to a lack of government action on renewable energy and sustainable aviation fuels.

In a joint statement, co-founder Darrel Wade and CEO James Thornton announced the company is now retiring its carbon offset program and Climate Active certification to focus on decarbonisation investment instead.

The duo say that while offsets once "served an important purpose", they no longer reflect the "scale or immediacy of the challenge."

Intrepid's climate action plan

Intrepid will now invest $2 million AUD (around €1.13 million) each year into immediate emissions reductions.

"This will include things like switching our owned and leased vehicles to EVs; investing in renewable energy in our hotels and offices; and sourcing lower-carbon fuel alternatives for transportation," the company says.

The tour operator will also work with more than 10,000 suppliers to decarbonise through renewable energy investments and electric vehicles (EVs).

It will also provide loans to suppliers in countries such as Nepal and India so they can purchase their own EVs and install solar panels in tourist accommodations such as homestays.

Other initiatives include investing in more "domestic and short-haul products", meaning fewer long-haul flights, as well as offering more flight-free itineraries.

Its progress will be verified by independent auditors in its annual report.

"We've always had the ambition to ensure that exploring the world could also help sustain it – but Intrepid, and frankly the entire travel industry, is not on track to achieve a 1.5C future, and more urgent action is required if we are to get even close," Wade and Thornton add.

So, what is carbon offsetting?

When you’re booking a flight online, you’ll often be presented with the option to offset the carbon footprint of your journey. 

You’ll be asked if you want to add a small surcharge - sometimes even under €5 - to the cost of your booking to compensate for a proportion of the emissions of your flight. 

However, carbon credit schemes have repeatedly been called out by scientists and climate activists as ineffective and even harmful. 

So should you be choosing to offset your flight emissions or are there other options to make your journey greener?  

How does carbon offsetting for flights work?

When you take a flight, the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere can be calculated. 

A one-way trip from London Heathrow to Paris Charles De Gaulle emits around 0.32 tonnes of CO2, for example. 

When you choose the option to buy carbon credits, the idea is you offset the emissions by funding a scheme that will remove or store the equivalent amount of carbon elsewhere, often by planting trees. 

The illusion of carbon offsetting schemes

For many climate scientists, the problem with carbon credits is that they do little to reduce flying - and perhaps even encourage it if travellers think they can make the trip eco-friendly and avoid the dreaded flygskam or ‘flight shame.’

Carbon offsetting at most cancels out emissions already released into the atmosphere, but does not reduce them as travellers sometimes mistakenly believe. 

What’s more, many offsetting schemes have been labelled ineffective by scientists, while others can even have a negative impact. 

Tree planting and forest protection schemes in particular are questionable yet Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) projects hold about a quarter of credits on the voluntary carbon market.

A 2023 study by researchers from Berkeley University concluded that “current REDD+ methodologies likely generate credits that represent a small fraction of their claimed climate benefit.”

Other investigations have even found that these schemes can have adverse impacts on Indigenous peoples and local communities who are forcibly removed from areas of land. 

Legitimate carbon offsetting schemes should be verifiable and long-term - with a strategy in place for the care and maintenance of planted trees - and prove that they are additional projects i.e. the actions wouldn’t have been taken otherwise. 

What are alternatives to carbon offsetting your flight?

Not flying at all is the best way to make a journey more planet-friendly. 

Taking a train instead of a short-haul flight in Europe can reduce your emissions by over 85 per cent. 

Thanks to Europe’s rail renaissance, long-distance train journeys are quicker, more comfortable and cheaper than they’ve ever been. Use websites like Omio and Trainline to find routes and prices and book tickets.

Train journeys can often be as quick as taking a flight because you don’t have to arrive at a train station hours before like you do with a flight. There are also very rarely limits on luggage reducing stress when packing. 

On top of all this, it’s healthier to be able to move around a train, rather than being confined to a small seat on a plane. Trains also have perks like child-friendly carriages and, on long journeys, comfortable beds so you can arrive at your destination refreshed and save on the cost of a night’s accommodation.

But if you have to fly, you can choose to do so with airlines that use sustainable aviation fuel and choose an economy seat - business class passengers take up more space so account for more emissions. 

Opt for large commercial aircraft rather than small planes or private jets as seating more people means emitting less per individual journey.