27 Mar 2007 - Beijing,
China – All athletes aiming to compete in
the 2008 Beijing Olympics can win gold by
investing carbon emissions from their plane
flights into a Gold Standard climate-change
offset project, according to WWF.
With just 500 days to go until the 2008
Games, athletes have time to offset the
environmental cost of their flights to Beijing.
Long-distance flights are responsible for
2 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions
per year. On average each athlete will cause
the release of around 4 tonnes of CO2 into
the atmosphere in his or her bid to win
an Olympic medal.
In preparation for the Games, WWF is calling
on athletes to be climate winners by donating
the equivalent of the average carbon cost
of their flight to offsetting their emissions.
“If athletes offset their carbon emissions
at a Gold Standard level it gives them the
opportunity to contribute towards a healthier
planet and a healthier Olympic Games,” said
James Leape, Director General of WWF International.
The Beijing Olympics is expected to bring
10,000 athletes to China by air from more
than 200 countries and regions and, together
with thousands of spectators, the event
will inject hundreds of thousands of tonnes
of carbon into the atmosphere.
WWF is working with the wholesale and retail
offset business to develop an opportunity
for athletes, supporters, the media and
anyone else planning to travel to the Games
so they can easily enter their journey details,
calculate their relevant CO2 emission through
a carbon calculator, and donate to a Gold
Standard project such as a wind farm, solar
power station or other energy efficiency
projects.
“This isn’t a high jump. We are hurdling
towards a dangerous future if we don’t dramatically
reduce carbon emissions,” said WWF China
Country Representative Dermot O’Gorman.
“We want athletes to inspire people to
make their air travels more environmentally
friendly. Each of us is wrestling with the
impacts of global warming and we need to
row in the same direction, each working
towards our personal best to reduce our
emissions.”
END NOTES:
• The Gold Standard is the first independent
best-practice benchmark for the Clean Development
Mechanism and Joint Implementation greenhouse
gas projects, which was formally established
in 2003 after long-term consultation with
government departments, environmental agencies,
private enterprises (including investors
and project developers) and certification
organizations.
• Offsetting your emissions means adding
a price to the cost of a polluting activity,
such as flying, driving a car, heating or
cooling. The additional money is being invested
in projects that reduce overall global emissions,
such as clean energy plants or energy efficiency
projects. Prices for one emission credit
(the equivalent of 1 tonne of CO2 emissions)
range from €5 to €15. A flight from Paris
to Beijing would emit about 2000kg of CO2
for an economy flight with modest luggage.
Athletes with their often cumbersome gear
could expect to encounter offset costs of
up to €100.
Tan Rui, Press Officer
WWF China
