Estimating Tourism Carbon Footprints in PNG with cases from New Zealand

By MICHAEL KUMAKA | COMMENTARY

A study commissioned by the UNWTO shows that CO2 emissions from global tourism transport are in the order of 981 Mt CO2, and more than half (52%) of these are estimated to be caused by air travel.

Much of this air travel is international in nature.

Sectors other than aviation have been more successful in reducing emissions, and if aviation fails to address its greenhouse gas emissions it will put an additional burden on other economic sectors to meet national or international targets.

At present, greenhouse gas emissions associated with international air travel are not formally part of a country’s emissions inventory (or more specifically they are measured through the sales of bunker fuels at the airport but do not form part of national reduction targets), and it is the International Civil Aviation Organization that is charged under the Kyoto Protocol to develop mechanisms for dealing with aviation’s emissions.

The average international tourist travelling to New Zealand flies for about 13,000 km one-way and the emissions associated with this amount to about 1.6 tCO2 per person.

The total amount of CO2 emissions associated with international tourists’ travel to New Zealand (one-way) had been calculated for 1999 at 1.9 million tonnes. This referred to 1.59 million arrivals and when extrapolated to the 2.47 million international tourists in 2007, the emissions would be in the order of 2.1 million tonnes of CO2.

The footprint of international tourists’ air travel to New Zealand is therefore of a similar order to the in-country footprint of 2.56 million tonnes of CO2 – not accounting for non-carbon greenhouse gases and not considering tourists’ return flights.

It is important, however, to understand that the carbon footprint measured within a country is potentially only a small proportion of the total.

New Zealand’s total CO2-e emissions in tonnes by domestic tourism carbon footprint is 1,918,937 and while international tourism carbon footprint is 637,820 ton C02-e emissions. Carbon emissions per tourist per trip is 45.7kg CO2-e domestically and 258.2kg CO2-e internationally. On a daily basis, however, domestically 27.5kg CO2-e emissions and internationally 13.0kg CO2-e emissions.

From these figures, by comparison, a single trip of an international tourist visiting New Zealand emits four times more CO2-e than a domestic tourist’s trip.

Given this scenario for New Zealand, Papua New Guinea would record the same trend in domestic and international tourism carbon footprints.

Looking at a tourist’s emission per trip to New Zealand is at 258.2kg CO2-e, and for a return trip to the UK from Australia would cost $425 for carbon emissions, on average it is anticipated that an international tourist, either for business or holiday or visiting friends/relatives pays a $75 per trip for carbon footprints in Papua New Guinea.

PNG is amongst the 164 countries in the world that have submitted their national plans to combat Climate Change since the Paris Agreement was adopted in December of 2015.

PNG’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are mostly from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF). PNG’s CO2 emission from LULUCF in 2007 was 146.5 – 268.6 million tCO2.

PNG, along with other rainforest nation countries pushed for a mechanism that will address reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) and compensating those countries that have forest cover.

It was eventually adopted as a mechanism under the UNFCCC framework as REDD+.

The PNG Government established the CCDA to coordinate all climates change-related polices. The Government also created National Climate Change Committee to take full responsibility for all policies and actions concerning climate. The Committee meets monthly to ensure that climate change is addressed by the PNG Government. - Via Garamut News.

Global carbon offsetting programs avoid PNG, although it has the largest virgin rainforest nation in the world

By MICHAEL KUMAKA | VIEWPOINT

Flights will usually represent the largest portion of a traveler’s carbon footprint; consider using airlines that have invested in advanced technology and equipment to already lessen the impact of flights.

Alternatively, travelers may use any free online calculator to calculate their carbon footprint. It’s easy to use and includes a range of options to calculate the carbon footprint of flights, buses, accommodations, trains, and others.

Once a figure representing the carbon footprint of a trip is obtained, the next step is to select an organization with funding in carbon reduction programmes.

There have been companies and projects collecting donations from trip carbon footprints. One of them is Gold standard, established in 2003 by WWF and other international NGOs as a best practice benchmark for energy projects developed under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). It was set up to ensure that projects delivered genuine emission reductions and long-term sustainable development.

Gold standard was to ensure that the money collected from donations of trips must make its way to forests in Costa Rica, cookstoves in rural Africa, and wind farms in India. Other quality carbon offset programmes around the world are Carbon Footprint and MyClimate.

Yet none of the above certified globally funded projects has ever benefited the customary carbon owners in PNG. Not even the Gold Standard’s projects has ever set foot in PNG shores to donate to customary landowners against logging, land use clearing and to cover the cost of managing the standing forests.

In your next trip, remember, offsetting your carbon footprint is about more than calculating the amount and donating, it’s about selecting projects that will have genuine impact. PNG has never benefited from tourism carbon footprint in the past years, although has the largest rainforest in the world. – Via Garamut News.

Travelers to PNG and the Pacific will pay for their trip’s Carbon Footprints to save the Forests

Extracted from WORLD TRAVEL AND TOURISM COUNCIL (WTTC) | EDITED

Addressing climate change is a must for both travelers and Travel & Tourism on the whole. While there are many facets to increasing sustainability in the industry, carbon offsetting is one topic that many travelers overlook as a necessary imperative in creating trip based around the ideals of low-impact and eco-friendly.

At its core, the carbon offsetting industry is about reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in equal proportion to your personal or family emissions. Every aspect of our lives — electricity usage, food consumption, mileage driven — contribute to carbon emissions and are therefore a factor impacting climate change.

The term “carbon footprint” refers to the carbon pollution and greenhouse emissions a single person or company generates.

Carbon offsetting programs aim to compensate for that carbon footprint by supporting programs elsewhere in the world that remove carbon dioxide from the air in equal measure. These programs are often tree planting and reforestation initiatives, as well as investment projects to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

For travelers, carbon offsetting is an important topic because flying significantly ups your carbon footprint.

In fact, one meteorologist from the United States was so taken aback by the impact of his frequent travelers that he announced he and his wife would never again take a flight. He wrote:

“World governments will never agree in time to coordinate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. If anything is to change, it will have to come from individuals taking ownership of the problem themselves. … By vowing not to fly, I went from having more than double the carbon footprint as the average American to about 30% less than average.” [Quartz]

For those unable or unwilling to give up flying altogether, carbon offsetting programs become a way to mitigate the negative environmental impact of your trip.

Because although there is debate in the industry about efficacy of many carbon offsetting projects, the industry has made significant strides in the past decade to overcome the obstacles and produce high quality programs with a measurable impact on the carbon dioxide entering Earth’s atmosphere.

Carbon Offsetting as an industry is not without debate. In the early days of carbon offsetting initiatives, there were few standards ensuring the funded projects were genuinely compensating for the carbon dioxide emissions of individuals and companies.

One significant advancement in the industry has been the development of standard minimums for the type of projects that qualify as a carbon offset.

Funded programs must be those that would not be possible without the money from carbon offsetting.

If a company or individual already donates to rainforest reforestation, then that donation does not count as a carbon offset since the action was in motion already.

Instead, the best carbon programmes are now funding projects that would not otherwise be possible — wind farms that previously had no viable funding source, or development projects in developing countries to provide people with alternatives to wood-burning cookstoves.

With the projects now certified and tracked, companies around the world have stepped up their efforts to offset carbon emissions — corporations are some of the largest funding sources for carbon offsetting programmes.

But at the corporate and personal level, one of the largest criticisms centers on the fact that offsetting doesn’t address the underlying behaviors.

There is no possible way that humans can undo the damage caused by burning fossil fuels.

Although carbon offsets can mitigate the damage, the only true solution is seriously altering our consumption habits.

You don’t get a “free pass” to unsustainable behavior just because you plan to offset your actions.

Some contend that carbon offsets give people a clean conscious to pay others to offset their personal choices, and that’s the sort of attitude that set in motion the climate issues we are facing today.

There’s validity in each side of the debate. We certainly have an obligation to lessen our carbon footprint just as we offset those emissions that are impossible to fully mitigate.

Offsetting your carbon footprint is about more than calculating the amount and donating, it’s about selecting projects that will have genuine impact.

Many of the best programs use carbon offset funds to bring critical services like energy, water, and food to vulnerable people and places.

When donating to a program, one way to ensure the money will make its way to high-quality projects is to look for certification and the baseline standards the organization’s projects.

One respected company within the industry is Gold Standard (https://goldstandard.org). This group grew from a need for high quality oversight over the many carbon offsetting programs.

Gold Standard was “established in 2003 by WWF and other international NGOs as a best practice benchmark for energy projects developed under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Gold Standard was set up to ensure that projects delivered genuine emission reductions and long-term sustainable development.

“Many of the projects funded by the carbon offset calculators below are certified by this organization, ensuring the money will make its way to forests in Costa Rica, cookstoves in rural Africa, and wind farms in India.” [Nothing was allocated to PNG for its forests]

Lessen the carbon impact of your trip [to PNG]

Your flights will usually represent the largest portion of your trip’s carbon footprint; consider using airlines that have invested in advanced technology and equipment to already lessen the impact of your flights.

This National Geographic piece lists the most fuel-efficient airlines in the word. Additionally, consider how you can shift your plans to include closer destinations, or accommodations using renewable energy sources.

Calculate the carbon footprint of your trip [to PNG]. Use an online calculator to input the details of your next trip and calculate a number to represent the carbon impact of your trip. This calculator from Carbon Footprint is free and includes a range of options to calculate the carbon footprint of flights, buses, trains, and more.

Choose a quality carbon offset programme. Once you have a figure representing the carbon footprint of your trip, select an organization with funding quality and certified carbon reduction programmes around the world. Carbon Footprint supports industry certified programmes, as does MyClimate. [None of them, Carbon Footprint, https://carbonfootprints.com and MyClimate, https://myclimate.org) has any carbon reduction programmes in PNG].

Many of the most touristed destinations in the world — reefs, beaches, and rainforests [in PNG] — are already stressed by climate change.

With a commitment to lowering your personal carbon footprint and offsetting trips [when travelling to PNG], you can be a part of the climate change solutions. Travelers must join the global efforts to keep this planet livable.

Visiting Papua New Guinea

If you are travelling to PNG or are planning to or you already are a regular traveler with repeated trips to PNG, then know the following fascinating facts and share with your friends, relatives, colleagues or neighbors.

With over 60% of the country’s surface area covered by forests, PNG is home to the third largest area of intact tropical forests in the world. A large portion of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the use of land and forests.

PNG’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are mostly from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF). PNG’s CO2 emissions from LULUCF in 2007 were 146.5 – 268.6 million tCO2.

It is the second largest island in the world, with over 29 million hectares of forested land which are customarily owned by the indigenous people – the Government has no legal control over the land, forests and carbon ownership.

The customary landowners (CLOs) in PNG are custodians of the 97% of the land mass in the territory of sovereign nation of PNG which come under a customary landownership recognized by the law in the country, which is a total area of 462,840km2 (an area 25% larger than the size of Japan).

Some of these production forests areas are comprised of high quality tropical hardwoods and other forest products and are major export revenue source for PNG.

Yet none of the globally funded projects has ever benefited the customary carbon owners in PNG. Not even the Gold Standard’s projects or Carbon Footprint and MyClimate has ever set foot in PNG shores to donate to customary landowners against logging, land use clearing and to cover the cost of managing the standing forests.

The Indigenous Rights of the PNG customarily landowners are protected under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and Indigenous Rights is now part of the negotiating text on REDD+ at the UNFCCC COPs.

Travellers to PNG and the Pacific will pay for their trip’s carbon footprints directly to the customary forest carbon owners to preserve the forests against logging, land use clearing and to cover the cost of managing the standing forests. -Via Garamut News.

 

Lessen the Carbon Impact of your Trip to Papua New Guinea and the Pacific

By NIGEL KAUA | VIEWPOINT

Your flights will usually represent the largest portion of your trip’s carbon footprint; consider using airlines that have invested in advanced technology and equipment to already lessen the impact of your flights.

This National Geographic piece lists the most fuel-efficient airlines in the word. Additionally, consider how you can shift your plans to include closer destinations, or accommodations using renewable energy sources.

Calculate the carbon footprint of your trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Pacific. Use an online free carbon calculator to input the details of your trip and calculate a number to represent the carbon impact of your trip.

Choose a quality carbon offset programme. Once you have a figure representing the carbon footprint of your trip, select an organization with funding quality and certified carbon reduction programmes around the world that is transparent and your money goes right down to the intended purpose.

Organizations such as Carbon Footprint, https://carbonfootprints.com and MyClimate, https://myclimate.org do not have any carbon reduction programmes in PNG and the Pacific.

Not even the Gold Standard (https://goldstandard.org) has any direct project in PNG to benefit the indigenous carbon owners.

Many of the most raveled destinations in the world — reefs, beaches, and rainforests in PNG and the Pacific — are already stressed by climate change.

With a commitment to lowering your personal carbon footprint and offsetting trips when travelling to PNG and the Pacific, you can be a part of the climate change solutions. Travellers must join the global efforts to keep this planet livable.

If you are travelling to PNG and the Pacific or are planning to or you already are a regular traveller with repeated trips to PNG and the Pacific, then know the following fascinating facts and share with your friends, relatives, colleagues or neighbors.

With over 60% of the country’s surface area covered by forests, PNG is home to the third largest area of intact tropical forests in the world. A large portion of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the use of land and forests.

PNG’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are mostly from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF). PNG’s CO2 emissions from LULUCF in 2007 were 146.5 – 268.6 million tCO2.

It is the second largest island in the world, with over 29 million hectares of forested land which are customarily owned by the indigenous people – the Government has no legal control over the land, forests and carbon ownership.

The customary landowners (CLOs) in PNG are custodians of the 97% of the land mass in the territory of sovereign nation of PNG which come under a customary landownership recognized by the law in the country, which is a total area of 462,840km2 (an area 25% larger than the size of Japan).

Some of these production forests areas are comprised of high quality tropical hardwoods and other forest products and are major export revenue source for PNG.

Yet none of the globally funded projects has ever benefited the customary carbon owners in PNG. Not even the Gold Standard’s projects or Carbon Footprint and MyClimate has ever set foot in PNG shores to donate to customary landowners against logging, land use clearing and to cover the cost of managing the standing forests.

The Indigenous Rights of the PNG customarily landowners are protected under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and Indigenous Rights is now part of the negotiating text on REDD+ at the UNFCCC COPs.

Travellers to PNG and the Pacific will pay for their trip’s carbon footprints directly to the customary forest carbon owners to preserve the forests against logging, land use clearing and to cover the cost of managing the standing forests. – Via Garamut News.

Part of the tropical rainforest in the highlands of PNG. Image: Jacob Wani.

Customary landowners must consider what Paris Accord has to offer PNG forests amid logging options

By PETER S. KINJAP | COMMENTARY

PAPUA New Guinea (PNG) is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol and is amongst the 164 countries in the world that have submitted their national plans to combat Climate Change since the Paris Agreement was adopted in December of 2015.

PNG needs to earnestly embrace what the Paris Accord has to offer.

With 60% of the country’s surface area covered by forests, is home to the third largest area of intact tropical forests in the world. A large portion of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the use of land and forests (LULUCF). A well-established forestry sector concentrating on the extraction and export of logs contributes approximately US$297 million to PNG’s national economy each year.

Carbon, as an alternative commodity for trade, should have been included as part the government’s drive to promote environmentally sustainable economic growth.

When carbon trade was first suggested for PNG, two expatriates; Kevin Conrad and Robert Kirks were pushing for each of their carbon trade schemes. While Kirks was not easily accepted with his voluntary carbon trade scheme into PNG, Conrad had his way to convince the then Prime minister Sir Michael somare with REDD+.

The then Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Don Polye got behind Kirks seeing it would benefit the customary land, forest and carbon owners in PNG. A bit of tag of war between Polye-Kirks and Somare-Conrad over which carbon trade scheme would best fitting the nation.

Robert Kirks never failed by got sidelined by the government, and thus Voluntary Carbon Trade scheme was not supported by policy framework and not recognized by the Government.

The NA-led Government was then very instrumental in policy framework for REDD+ programmes in PNG. Whilst REDD+ is seen as having enormous potential in PNG, challenges may lie ahead.

The country’s forestry sector is also characterized by a lack of transparency and accountability mechanisms, persistent allegations of corrupt practices and significant losses to the government purse.

Therefore, it is a requirement under this international treaty to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). This is to ensure we assist in the international effort to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

Many people in the developed world speculate that reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation of forests in developing countries will be cheap and easy.

In the case of PNG, it will not be cheap and easy to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation of forests.

The implementation of REDD+ on customary land will be a daunting task for the government because natural forests and land belongs to the customary landowners (CLOs), and not the Government.

As such the PNG Government will have to find better ways to implement the REDD+ concept so that REDD+ is efficiently implemented in PNG.

In so doing, the CLOs will be happy, the Government will be happy, carbon brokers will be happy, and REDD+ projects will not be jeopardized in future due to legal, social and environmental implications.

Moreover, PNG will fulfill its international obligation to reduce its GHG emissions from LULUCF. And this will portray a good image of PNG on the international arena.

More than 97% of the land in PNG is customarily owned, accounting for the total of 29 hectares of forested land. Therefore, control of deforestation and degradation of forests will not be an easy task.

In an undated article, researcher Nalau Bingeding of National Research Institute points out there is likely to be conflict of interest among CLOs and competition between developmental sectors for forested land for development.

Conflict of Interest between city resident CLOs who may want a logging or agroforestry project, while village based CLOs may want a conservation or carbon trade project. A good example is the issuance of the SPABL over a large area of forest in the Collingwood Bay Area (Oro Province).

Competition between development sectors – One sector may want a piece of a forested land for its development, but another sector may also be interested in the same piece of land for its development. For example, a company may want to develop a forested land for oil palm, but the Department of Environment and Conversation may want that land for conservation. So there will definitely be competition for forested lands for development.

So how do we eliminate conflict of interest among CLOs and competition between developmental sectors for forested lands for development?

A National Land Use Plan (NLUP) is an option that has to be looked at. With a NLUP, areas around the country have to be designated for different economic activities based on some opportunity cost or cost-benefit-analysis and sound scientific knowledge (both forested and non-forested land).

In this way the most appropriate activity or activities are designated for an area, thus it should minimize the chances of conflict of interest among CLOs and competition between developmental sectors for development of forested lands.

In order for customary land to be unlocked for social and economic development, a report recommended for a voluntary registration system of customary land to be established under the Land Groups Incorporation Act 1974 (recommendation 49). Since 2009 two Acts have been passed by parliament in response to this recommendation: (i) Land Group Incorporation (Amendment) Act 2009 and (ii) Land Registration (Customary Land) Act 2009.

The mechanisms for unlocking customary land for social and economic development are not yet in place.

There has been an increase in the number of Special Agricultural and Business Lease (SABL) granted over customary land in the name of economic development.

If SPABLs are granted over customary land (under the Lease Lease-Back (LLB) system) for REDD+ program and carbon trade, we may attract the ire of the international community.

This is because indigenous rights are protected under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Rights is now part of the negotiating text on REDD at the UNFCCC COPs.

To date, SABLs in the country have been reported channeled through a competent court, all leases under SPABL were forfeited and the land is back to the customary landowners.

The Government is yet to publish all the forfeited leases under SABL.

REDD+ funds were proposed to put in trust accounts set up by parliament and then monies disbursed to customary landowners via a board of trustees.

REDD+ funds already established include Mama Graun Conservation Fund, PNG National Forest Fund (GreenPeace 2010) and the PES Fund (EcoForestry Forum 2010).

Whether these funds are indeed operating to benefit the indigenous people of PNG or not is something not known at this stage. - Via Garamut News.

How to Use Carbon Offsets on Your Next Trip [to Papua New Guinea]

Addressing climate change is a must for both travellers and Travel & Tourism on the whole. While there are many facets to increasing sustainability in the industry, carbon offsetting is one topic that many travellers overlook as a necessary imperative in creating trip based around the ideals of low-impact and eco-friendly.

At its core, the carbon offsetting industry is about reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in equal proportion to your personal or family emissions. Every aspect of our lives — electricity usage, food consumption, mileage driven — contribute to carbon emissions and are therefore a factor impacting climate change.

The term “carbon footprint” refers to the carbon pollution and greenhouse emissions a single person or company generates.

Carbon offsetting programs aim to compensate for that carbon footprint by supporting programs elsewhere in the world that remove carbon dioxide from the air in equal measure. These programs are often tree planting and reforestation initiatives, as well as investment projects to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

For travellers, carbon offsetting is an important topic because flying significantly ups your carbon footprint.

In fact, one meteorologist from the United States was so taken aback by the impact of his frequent travelers that he announced he and his wife would never again take a flight. He wrote:

“World governments will never agree in time to coordinate reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. If anything is to change, it will have to come from individuals taking ownership of the problem themselves. … By vowing not to fly, I went from having more than double the carbon footprint as the average American to about 30% less than average.” [Quartz]

For those unable or unwilling to give up flying altogether, carbon offsetting programs become a way to mitigate the negative environmental impact of your trip.

Because although there is debate in the industry about efficacy of many carbon offsetting projects, the industry has made significant strides in the past decade to overcome the obstacles and produce high quality programs with a measureable impact on the carbon dioxide entering Earth’s atmosphere.

Carbon Offsetting as an industry is not without debate. In the early days of carbon offsetting initiatives, there were few standards ensuring the funded projects were genuinely compensating for the carbon dioxide emissions of individuals and companies.

One significant advancement in the industry has been the development of standard minimums for the type of projects that qualify as a carbon offset.

Funded programs must be those that would not be possible without the money from carbon offsetting.

If a company or individual already donates to rainforest reforestation, then that donation does not count as a carbon offset since the action was in motion already.

Instead, the best carbon programmes are now funding projects that would not otherwise be possible — wind farms that previously had no viable funding source, or development projects in developing countries to provide people with alternatives to wood-burning cookstoves.

With the projects now certified and tracked, companies around the world have stepped up their efforts to offset carbon emissions — corporations are some of the largest funding sources for carbon offsetting programmes.

But at the corporate and personal level, one of the largest criticisms centers on the fact that offsetting doesn’t address the underlying behaviors.

There is no possible way that humans can undo the damage caused by burning fossil fuels.

Although carbon offsets can mitigate the damage, the only true solution is seriously altering our consumption habits.

You don’t get a “free pass” to unsustainable behavior just because you plan to offset your actions.

Some contend that carbon offsets give people a clean conscious to pay others to offset their personal choices, and that’s the sort of attitude that set in motion the climate issues we are facing today.

There’s validity in each side of the debate. We certainly have an obligation to lessen our carbon footprint just as we offset those emissions that are impossible to fully mitigate.

Offsetting your carbon footprint is about more than calculating the amount and donating, it’s about selecting projects that will have genuine impact.

Many of the best programs use carbon offset funds to bring critical services like energy, water, and food to vulnerable people and places.

When donating to a program, one way to ensure the money will make its way to high-quality projects is to look for certification and the baseline standards the organization’s projects.

One respected company within the industry is Gold Standard (https://goldstandard.org). This group grew from a need for high quality oversight over the many carbon offsetting programs.

Gold Standard was “established in 2003 by WWF and other international NGOs as a best practice benchmark for energy projects developed under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Gold Standard was set up to ensure that projects delivered genuine emission reductions and long-term sustainable development.

“Many of the projects funded by the carbon offset calculators below are certified by this organization, ensuring the money will make its way to forests in Costa Rica, cookstoves in rural Africa, and wind farms in India.” [Nothing was allocated to PNG for its forests]

Lessen the carbon impact of your trip [to PNG]

Your flights will usually represent the largest portion of your trip’s carbon footprint; consider using airlines that have invested in advanced technology and equipment to already lessen the impact of your flights.

This National Geographic piece lists the most fuel-efficient airlines in the word. Additionally, consider how you can shift your plans to include closer destinations, or accommodations using renewable energy sources.

Calculate the carbon footprint of your trip [to PNG]. Use an online calculator to input the details of your next trip and calculate a number to represent the carbon impact of your trip. This calculator from Carbon Footprint is free and includes a range of options to calculate the carbon footprint of flights, buses, trains, and more.

Choose a quality carbon offset programme. Once you have a figure representing the carbon footprint of your trip, select an organization with funding quality and certified carbon reduction programmes around the world. Carbon Footprint supports industry certified programmes, as does MyClimate. [None of both (Carbon Footprint, https://carbonfootprints.com and MyClimate, https://myclimate.org) has any carbon reduction programmes in PNG].

Many of the most touristed destinations in the world — reefs, beaches, and rainforests [in PNG] — are already stressed by climate change.

With a commitment to lowering your personal carbon footprint and offsetting trips [when travelling to PNG], you can be a part of the climate change solutions. Travellers must join the global efforts to keep this planet livable.

///--------------------------------------------------///

If you are travelling to PNG or are planning to or you already are a regular traveller with repeated trips to PNG, then know the following fascinating facts and share with your friends, relatives, colleagues or neighbors.

With over 60% of the country’s surface area covered by forests, PNG is home to the third largest area of intact tropical forests in the world. A large portion of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the use of land and forests.

PNG’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are mostly from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF). PNG’s CO2 emissions from LULUCF in 2007 was 146.5 – 268.6 million tCO2.

It is the second largest island in the world, with over 29 million hectares of forested land which are customarily owned by the indigenous people – the Government has no legal control over the land, forests and carbon ownership.

The customary landowners (CLOs) in PNG are custodians of the 97% of the land mass in the territory of sovereign nation of PNG which come under a customary landownership recognized by the law in the country, which is a total area of 462,840km2 (an area 25% larger than the size of Japan).

Some of these production forests areas are comprised of high quality tropical hardwoods and other forest products and are major export revenue source for PNG.

Yet none of the globally funded projects has ever benefited the customary carbon owners in PNG. Not even the Gold Standard’s projects or Carbon Footprint and MyClimate has ever set foot in PNG shores to donate to customary landowners against logging, land use clearing and to cover the cost of managing the standing forests.

The Indigenous Rights of the PNG customarily landowners are protected under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and Indigenous Rights is now part of the negotiating text on REDD+ at the UNFCCC COPs.

In the not so long future, travellers to PNG will pay for their carbon footprints directly to the customary forest carbon owners to preserve the forests against logging, land use clearing and to cover the cost of managing the standing forests.



Source: World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), https://wttc.org (An edited version of a series of articles about the various pledges that are part of the IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK campaign by WTTC.)