Take That Back!
By Alison Stodolnic

The journey is over. A week at sea, and you've arrived with a smile on your face that lights up the suntan. The weather's been perfect and everyone had a great time. You wouldn't change a thing ... would you? What about the contribution you just made to global warming ... would you take that back if you could?

We all know the bad news: carbon dioxide emissions from yacht fuel are released into the atmosphere and join forces with other greenhouse gases floating about, to form a kind of duvet around the globe, keeping heat in and playing havoc with our weather. Climate change leads to floods, droughts, famines, melting ice caps and strange weather patterns. As well as natural disasters, climate change leaves in its wake the migration of indigenous peoples - leading to human suffering and conflict - which is precisely why the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize went to environmental campaigner Al Gore.

And now for the good news: there is something you can do. People everywhere are taking direct action to reduce their environmental footprints through carbon offsetting. You simply pay a little extra to 'offset' your usual fuel, and buy carbon dioxide reductions elsewhere in the world. Effectively you 'neutralise', as best you can, the carbon impact of your yacht.

Offsetting began in earnest after the 2005 UN Kyoto Protocol, the international convention dedicated to reducing greenhouse gases. Ethical offsetting schemes achieve carbon dioxide reductions that wouldn't have happened otherwise, through independently verified projects overseas. Projects can involve renewable energy developments (such as wind, solar or hydroelectric power), energy efficiency schemes, or the reforestation of areas where carbon-absorbing trees have been cut down.

Environmental campaigners are behind offsetting. In principle, they advise us to avoid energy consumption (so don't go the long way if the short way will do), reduce energy consumption (so don't leave the engine on when it can be off), switch to renewable energy sources as soon as you can, then offset what remains.

It may cost less than you think to offset your fuel. Take a 35m motor yacht chartered for 10 people to go 482 miles from Marseilles to Naples, sailing for roughly 34 hours. The gas-oil burnt would generate emissions of around 32 tonnes of carbon dioxide. To offset this, or to pay for a reduction of 32 tonnes of carbon dioxide in a verified project overseas project, would add just £22.40 per passenger.

The beaming ray of hope amongst yacht owners is that bio-fuels will become widely available, economical and easy to use. Bio-fuels are an environmentally-friendly alternative to oil and diesel; they are made from plant crops or bio-degradable waste, emit fewer greenhouse gases and, in theory, the plants grow back to re-absorb much of the carbon dioxide emitted during manufacture and transportation. But how long will we have to wait? In March 2007, the EU set a goal of raising bio-fuel use in transport from 2% to 10% by 2020. And, whilst bio-fuels will certainly play a part, it remains uncertain how much of a contribution they will make to the sustainability of transport. The EU is currently setting criteria for sustainable bio-fuel production, and has to tackle concerns over its impact on deforestation, water supply, eco-systems and food production. So this beaming ray of hope may eventually become a reality, but it won't be anytime soon.

Once you've burnt your fuel, of course you can't really take back the carbon dioxide you've just pumped out into the atmosphere. But you can take it back elsewhere in the world by offsetting. If that's the only thing you'd change, then do it now.