Emissions

Tomorrow I am flying to Stavanger for the day to attend a couple of meetings. From a 'getting things done' point of view, I think face to face meetings are by far the most efficient method, but what other impact does my trip have?

A quick google later, I found co2balance.com, a company whom you can pay to plant a few trees in order offset your carbon emissions, so you can sleep at night thinking you are a good person. It's a bit like ordering a super-size Big Mac meal with Diet Coke - a strategy riddled with faults (not to mention trans-fatty acids). Anyway, it has calculators that work out your carbon emissions, so I ascertained the following:

• A return flight Aberdeen - Stavanger emits 1.4 tonnes of CO2 per person. That's based on a full flight, and I can say from experience that it's seldom packed, so we'll increase that (conservatively) to 2 tonnes.
• The alternative route is to take the train down to Newcastle, then the ferry across to Stavanger, emitting en route a total of 0.63 tonnes of CO2, around 30% of the air route.

OK, there it the issue of time - for my day there I would have to leave Aberdeen on Tuesday afternoon, arriving after lunch on Wednesday, leaving again late Thursday evening & arriving back in Aberdeen 7pm on Friday. But most of my day I spend sat at a computer & on the phone anyway, and modern technology would allow me to do all that on the boat. If this became common enough, rooms on the boat could be converted into offices to make the working while travelling bit easier.

But bearing in mind that lots of people from my office (never mind this industry) go back & forward on the same route regularly. I estimate 20 return trips per week are taken by my company; if all these people took the boat then it would be equivalent to taking over 300 medium sized cars off the road. Probably small fry compared to emissions from offshore flares, but significant nonetheless - If we find enough ways to shave 70% off emissions, the problem soon becomes pretty small. And I haven't even started on the transatlantic flights...

I recognise that this microanalysis is flawed in many ways, but it qualifies as food for thought nonetheless. I think I'll send it to my boss & see what reaction I get!