In the fight against global warming, Original Travel has always had a twin-track strategy, aiming both to reduce CO2 emissions at source and absorb any that are subsequently generated by our clients and staff’s flights*. The absorption side is mitigated by our reforestation projects around the world, but the main objective remains to reduce the carbon footprint of our clients’ trips.
With that in mind, and in addition to our efforts to encourage flight-free travel, we have developed a new carbon calculator which our team can use to recommend the flights with the lowest possible carbon footprint to our clients. The classic travel triangulation for choosing flights was once price/schedule/duration, but Original Travel consultants can now also compare the levels of emissions generated by each flight, using data compiled from flight plans, aircraft type, the cabin class, direct versus indirect flights and the target occupancy rate.
On an otherwise seemingly identical flight, the difference in emissions can be as much as 50%, so thanks to this tool we can now definitively calculate the difference in emissions between two flight options and present them to our clients to make an informed decision.
*and ground transportation.
Scenic, sustainable and undeniably romantic, train travel is like having your cake and eating it too. Emitting up to 80% less carbon than cars and planes, trains cut noise pollution, save time (say goodbye to bag drop queues), deliver you into the heart of a city, and can run entirely on electricity. In fact, half of Europe’s trains are already electric-powered. So, naturally, they’re one of our first suggestions when planning a tailor-made trip. Whether it be speeding through Italy on highspeed Frecciarossas, carving through the Peruvian Andes on bucket list busting holidays to South America or basking in opulence on Kyushu’s Seven Stars service, travelling by train is an eco-friendly no-brainer. Plus, it gives you the perfect opportunity to pause for thought, really look at the world around you and appreciate your place within it.
Our flight specialists are always on the lookout for direct, fuel-efficient flights. And as luck would have it, so is the aviation industry. Since 2009, steady progress has been made towards replacing conventional jet fuel with synthetic kerosene. In fact, 2021 saw the world’s first synthetic kerosene flight, from Amsterdam to Madrid. There is particular urgency for this to be achieved in Europe, where draft regulation has imposed a minimum of 2% e-kerosene (based on hydrogen and CO2) on all flights. So, watch this space.
We like to lead by example when it comes to sustainable accommodation. At our South African property, Satyagraha House, solar power accounts for 50% of energy consumption; while on board our traditional dahabieh sailing boat, Flaneuse du Nil, solar and recycled electric car batteries provide up to 80% of its electricity. However, it is on board the Steam Ship Sudan, our second boat on the Nile, that we are really trying to – excuse the pun – push the boat out. There are solar panels on sundecks that power its economical twin-propeller thruster and individual air conditioning units, meaning energy output is kept to a minimum. As a result, the century-old ship has halved its carbon footprint. Furthermore, in the summer of 2024, the boat underwent a complete energy overhaul, which will cut its carbon footprint by a further 50%.
It’s no secret that electric is the future, but why wait until then? Electric safaris are here and ready to go. In Botswana’s Chobe National Park, you can take solar powered boats along the Linyanti River and cruise over verdant plains on electric 4x4s. Both have minimum carbon impact, leaving you to simply sit forward, eagle eyed, and await your first glimpse of the Big Five. When it comes to road trips too, electric has never been a better option – especially if you plan on hitting Norway’s fjords and Sweden’s archipelagos. You’ll feel as though you’re doing your bit too as Norway plans for all new cars to be emission free by 2025.
How does carbon absorption work?
Flights currently account for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, but technology is advancing. The best potential solution to date is synthetic fuel, a mixture of hydrogen and CO2 which has the benefit of being immediately available without the requirement to modify current aircraft. Some companies are now offering their passengers a voluntary contribution to finance the transformation, and Original Travel is in favour of implementing a tax to accelerate the development of the technology. In the meantime, the only concrete option is to absorb CO2 emissions, particularly through tree planting. By financing reforestation projects around the world, through the Livelihoods Carbon Fund and others, we contribute to the absorption of carbon dioxide. Every day, 7,400 trees are planted, or about 2.7 million trees a year.
What is carbon neutrality?
Each trip made by our clients and members of staff has a measurable impact on global warming. Thanks to a precise calculation model certified by ADEME (the French Agency for Ecological Transition), we can precisely determine the amount of CO2 emissions related to these travels. It is then possible to calculate the exact number of trees that need to be planted in order to absorb the CO2 created. Our ever-increasing participation in independently monitored reforestation projects means we can now absorb all of the CO2 emissions related to our travels. Once our carbon contribution has been achieved, our short-term goal is to absorb twice as much CO2 as the emissions we produce, by further investment in reforestation and regenerative agriculture projects.
The goal to limit global warming to 1.5°C by 2030, set by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), is unattainable without real action. Even staying below a 2°C threshold requires a 50% reduction in our current level of carbon emissions. To achieve this, we encourage the creation of a global coalition to orchestrate the planting of 300 billion trees by 2030. This approach would contribute to the absorption of 30% of current emissions.
This is the carbon footprint of a return economy class flight from London to New York. This equates to one and a half times the annual carbon quota that each person should adhere to in order to keep levels of global warming within sustainable levels. To absorb the CO2 emissions from this flight, 20 trees should be planted.
The programmes we are involved in are in Peru, Senegal, India and Indonesia, and are certified by the international organisation Verified Carbon Standard, which ensures compliance with the standards set by the UN for greenhouse gas reduction. Furthermore, the NGOs that lead these projects always have an additional objective of encouraging autonomous economic development for the local population. Finally, each of these actions meets four key criteria:
• additionality: meaning that the project exists entirely thanks to funding, and does not result from any other objective than reforestation
• sustainability: the project is long-term, with the aim of spanning several generations – a minimum of forty years
• local social and economic impact: the project has a positive and lasting effect on the local community
• measurability: the absorption and effectiveness of the project can be measured using rigorous scientific methods established according to the best international criteria
For more than ten years our Foundation has been committed to reforestation by financing several replanting projects around the world. Many of the projects focus on mangrove restoration because these ecosystems absorb carbon, help desalination and increase biodiversity which, in turn, helps to revive local fishing communities.
Restoring the Sundarbans Ecosystem
The Sundarbans archipelago, located in the state of West Bengal, forms the largest estuarine mangrove forest in the world. The Sundarbans is currently experiencing a faster sea level rise than anywhere else in the world and has already lost nearly 30% of its land mass over the last 40 years due to global warming. Alongside the Livelihoods Fund, Original Travel supports the NGO News to help local communities in the Sundarbans. To date, 16 million mangrove trees have been planted to strengthen the levees that protect villages and arable land from flooding. At the heart of the project are local women trained to manage nurseries and set up cultivation areas.
Reversing deforestation in North Sumatra
The province of North Sumatra in Indonesia has been losing its mangrove forests at a steady rate for several decades. Since 1987, half have been destroyed and converted into rice fields, shrimp ponds and palm oil plantations. A study by the scientific journal Science Direct conducted following the 2004 tsunami, which caused 220,000 deaths, indicates that 30 coastal trees per 100 square yards can reduce the flow of a tsunami by up to 90%. Through the Foundation, Original Travel has committed to the NGO Yagasu, which supports the economic development of villages, scientific research and the protection of mammals.
Saving forests and developing agroforestry
In 2008, an agricultural cooperative of more than 2,000 small cocoa and sugar cane producers in the San Martin region of Peru decided to fight back against the deforestation that had been affecting their region since the 1980s. Supported by the social enterprise Pur Projet, they set up an agroforestry model that allows them to develop their crops and preserve the forest at the same time. Thanks to this project, more than 2 million trees have been planted, and producers have diversified their sources of income and dramatically improved soil biodiversity.
Reconstituting the Mangrove
Senegal's mangroves have long been subjected to massive felling for firewood, timber for construction, or to make charcoal. Major droughts over the last three decades have only aggravated the deforestation process. Since 2006, the association Oceanium has worked tirelessly for the protection of the environment and the restoration of the mangroves. Thanks to the help of populations in the affected areas, 100 million trees have been planted.
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