Commuters can offset their carbon footprint

The capital's first scheme allowing commuters to offset the carbon footprint of their daily journeys to work has been launched.

Drivers, rail or bus passengers and even cyclists can go online, calculate the impact their journey is making on the environment and contribute towards offsetting the effect.

The scheme, run by a company called Clear, is the first of its kind in the country to offer offsetting for different types of commuter travel.

All journeys create a carbon footprint, from the electricity that powers Tube trains to the manufacture and distribution of riding gear and equipment worn by cyclists.

To take part in the scheme, commuters go to the website and enter details about how often they travel, what mode of transport they use and the duration of each journey. The site then calculates how much CO2 is emitted as a result.

Commuters who choose to offset their emissions then pay a fee, which the company uses to purchase the equivalent amount of Certified Emissions Reductions certificates, a UNapproved scheme that vets the projects to be invested in.

Projects already funded by the scheme include replacing coal-fired electricity with clean technology, or methane capture from landfill sites in the UK and elsewhere. The company adds a small fee for sourcing the carbon credits.

The cost of offsetting the daily commute into central London can range from about £7 a year for a Tube or bus journey to almost £70 for car journeys.

Clear's chief executive Bruce Elliott said: "Public transport is undoubtedly a much greener way to travel but there is still an associated carbon footprint and we wanted to make people aware of that.

"We can show exactly how much their Tube journey actually impacts on the environment, even though it will be a relatively small amount.

"The scheme will also let people try different ways of getting to work that will reduce their footprint.

"I hope we will actually help people to reduce their footprint rather than simply offset it. Our hope is that it will be reduced to the bare minimum, which can then be offset."

Several rival schemes have come under fire for investing in unsuccessful environmental projects. The Government is investigating a "kitemark" scheme for carbon offset schemes to protect consumers.

But Mr Elliot said: "I think there has been a lot of distrust over offset schemes and with good reason in the case of some companies. There was a real trend for simply planting trees to offset, for instance, but there is a lot of research showing this is not effective, and I hope as an industry we have now moved past this point."