Sensible Travelling
Calculation basis for environmental damages for travellers
The extent of damage of a journey can hardly be measured in plain numbers. Summarizing too many different factors like the change of traditional communities, exhaust emissions or energy input will not produce a viable outcome. Neither there is a certain proof of the exact effects of carbon dioxide emission nor is there a guarantee that reforestation will minimize the climatic change. The data is solely giving an idea of the extent of damage and helps to calculate a value of compensation.
Example
On a 14000 km long flight from Europe to Chile roughly 700 l of kerosene are used per person (approx. 5 l kerosene p.p./100 km). The combustion of 700 l kerosene produces 2205 kg of CO2 , which are released into the air – 4410 kg of CO2 on a round trip. A tree absorbs about 6 kg of CO2 from its circulating air and transforms it into biomass (wood and leaves). So, 735 trees would withdraw the 4410 kg CO2 from the atmosphere. In Chile a native tree seedling costs approx. USD 0,8 without further fostering. A donation of USD 588,- (currency converter) would theoretically finance the planting of these 735 trees to absorb all the carbon dioxide caused. (The assumption of usage was optimistically chosen!)
Emission of CO2 and its compensation
Passenger transportation per 100 km
(3,15 kg CO2/l)
(2,3 kg CO2/l)
(2,2 kg CO2/l)
Cargo transportation per 100 km per ton.
