Defra, UK - Environmental Protection - Climate change and energy - Cost of carbon

Climate change: Carbon offsetting - Offsetting UK Presidency of G8 and EU

The G8 Presidency

All meetings associated with the UK’s Presidency of the G8 in 2005, including the G8 Summit, official G8 conferences and associated meetings, were included in a Defra-led carbon offsetting initiative. The calculations included the emissions associated with air travel, local transport, hotel accommodation and meeting venues.

As a result, some 10,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide are to be offset via the purchase of credits from an Africa-based Gold Standard Clean Development Mechanism project. The Kuyasa low income housing energy upgrade project, located in Cape Town, South Africa, is the first Clean Development Mechanism project to be registered in Africa and Defra will be purchasing the first 10,000 credits to be issued. The project involves the installation of solar water heaters, ceiling insulation and compact fluorescent lightbulbs in thousands of homes in deprived neighbourhoods. In addition to offsetting 5600 tonnes of CO₂ per year, the project will add health, employment and energy cost benefits to the local area

The UK Presidency is the first to have its emissions offset, which, in conjunction with minimising the environmental impact, resulted in the most sustainable G8 Presidency to date.

The EU Presidency

A similar approach was used to account for emissions arising from our EU Presidency in the second half of 2005. Credits for this were to be purchased via the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund.

As part of the EU scheme, 260 credits were allocated to offset the aviation emissions attributable to the UK delegation attendance at COP11/MOP1, the UN climate change conference in Montreal. Environment Canada also worked to make COP11/MOP1 a carbon neutral event.

Elliot Morley speaking at the UN Climate Change Conference in Montreal, December 2005 Defra held a side event at the conference to publicise UK Government carbon offsetting initiatives. The event focused on the policy to offset emissions from all central government official air travel from April 2006, and the scheme to offset the unavoidable emissions associated with the UK’s Presidency of the G8. The event was opened by the then Minister of State for Climate Change and Environment, Elliot Morley, who gave a speech and presentation. Speakers from Defra, Cape Town City Council, SouthSouthNorth and The Gold Standard also contributed to the session. Their presentations can be accessed here: