Carbon offset: New Zealand's most climate-conscious air routes revealed

Where is New Zealand's most eco-conscious air route? Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand's most and least climate conscious passengers have been revealed by an online travel agency.

When asked to offset their carbon emissions, fewer than one in five passengers do the right thing according to the latest data. On some routes, this drops to fewer than one in forty.

Since first introducing the opt-in for passengers booking airfares, one year ago, Webjet has taken a look at the booking behaviour of the most eco-conscious Kiwi cities and domestic air routes. It appears the carbon credits scheme has taken off in some destinations more quickly than others.

Around 23 per cent of passengers flying into Wellington pay to offset their emissions, compared to just 3 per cent of travellers arriving in Dunedin.

Around the domestic network the picture is not much better, with air commuters between Auckland and Wellington leading the pack at 12 per cent opting in outbound (although only 7 per cent of passengers in the opposite direction take up the scheme).

Short haul air travel is thought to be one of the worst offending modes of transport for climate damage, considering the carbon output per passenger even when compared to road links and the increased effect of emissions at high altitudes.

In spite of the modest start, Webjet is thrilled by the uptake of their Sustainable Travel scheme. CEO David Galt says New Zealanders have put 673 tonnes of carbon - or the weight of "149,555 duty free Toblerone bars" - back into reforesting schemes and other accredited carbon credit schemes.

Not all carbon credits are equal, with some schemes costing more per km travelled. Photo / Unsplash, David Kovalenko

Galt called it a "success" saying the Sustainable Traveller programme was a "testament to the demand for eco-friendly options that allow Kiwis to pursue their passion of travel while making sure they tread lighter on the environment."

In spite of low uptake in some areas, there was extra reason for hope. Millennials aged 26-35 were most likely to offset their carbon credits, with 21 per cent opting in.

The booking data revealed other interesting trends. An enormous 73 per cent of travellers flying alone opted in to the offset scheme, and Air New Zealand passengers were revealed as the most climate conscious with 55 per cent uptake.

Which offset scheme to support?

Webjet has partnered with Tasman Environment Management one of the larger carbon management companies, whose credits span projects as far reaching rainforest restoration in Peru and carbon capture in Asia.

While opting in to carbon offset schemes is a laudable practice, many travellers are aware that not all carbon credits are equal. A dollar given to one scheme might go further in planting trees abroad, however more expensive local schemes might have added secondary environmental benefits.

In 2020 Air New Zealand's own carbon credit scheme 'Fly Neutral' was shown to be three times more expensive on comparable routes with Jetstar.

However, the airline said this was due to the support of local carbon capture projects in New Zealand which have a higher overhead than the much larger schemes operated by other airlines or global carbon sink projects.

Both schemes offset the same amount of carbon from the journey, but where carbon credits come from is increasingly important for travellers.

New Zealand's most eco-conscious air routes

Top five destinations for carbon offset uptake:

Wellington 23%

Auckland 21%

Christchurch 17%

Queenstown 6%

Dunedin 3%

Top five routes for carbon offset uptake:

Auckland – Wellington 12%

Wellington – Auckland 7%

Auckland – Christchurch 7%

Wellington – Christchurch 6%

Christchurch – Wellington 6%

*data from Webjet's Sustainable Traveller programme