Air New Zealand not windy when it comes to managing its gas emissions.

Published 27 March 2008 05:43

State-owned Air New Zealand's CEO, Rob Fyfe, today announced that the carrier will be permitting passengers to purchase carbon credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions during their travel. Fyfe said that for a return trip Auckland, Los Angeles, Auckland, the passenger will emit 2.6 tonnes of CO2 which he/she can offset by handing over an additional US$70.85c. On tonight's TV news the NZ Prime Minister made a statement to the effect that the Air New Zealand initiative will reduce the CO2 emissions by the carrier's aircraft. CEO Fyfe said that the credits have been purchased from a Wind-Farm...most appropriate!

But I am confused, and used to know a little about operating airline aeroplanes. Now let's try and figure this technical matter out. The wind roars across the Tasman Sea and turns the wind generator's big blades. The electricity is pumped into the National Grid. This should save importing some fuel oil. That's good. Air NZ gives some money to the bloke who owns the big fan thingy. So he is happy. Then the passenger gives extra money to CEO Fyfe. So he is very happy as the deal has cost him nothing. Then the passenger gets onboard weighing the same as he did prior to paying over his CO2 offset. The aircraft flies to Los Angeles but, surprise surprise, its fuel burn is exactly the same as it always is. So Prime Minister Helen is perhaps a little off track here. Maybe she was misquoted? But to get to my point at last; I am having some difficulty in believing that  it is all quite as "neat' as it sounds.....but then I am one of those Neanderthal aviators from the distant past when almost none of us had "Bachelor of Aviation" degrees. So please shoot me down in a flaming heap somebody.

A somewhat bemused dakota67 handing over.....

by dakota67

Comments

# General Eclectic said on 24 June 2008 16:16

Erm, I think the idea is that Mr FlyingFans pays Mr LargeFixedFan not for the forethought of having built a big white whirring thing (BWWT), but in order that he build another BWWT; on the assumption that he wasn't going to anyway. Thus the new BWWT reduces even more the need for fuel oil and reduces as much CO2 than Mr FlyingFans could have done by staying at home.  

At least, I THINK that's how it is meant to work. At some point, I assume, you run out of places to put the BWWT so you have to find a way to reduce your emmissions in order to only need to pay people to build Small White Whirring Things.