United Fairfax Travel / American Express is the travel agency that pioneers the myclimate service in the United States market “We’ll show you how to let us take care of all the details so you can just enjoy yourself . . . and our beautiful planet.”

United Fairfax Travel / American Express is the US-based distributor of the myclimate™ service, a unique service that reduces the global climate impact of travel related activities, particularly that of air and ground transportation. Through the I CARE FOR myclimate™ program, travellers, corporations and responsible travel service providers get together and take concrete action to fight climate change by investing in carbon-offsetting projects that help to neutralize the negative impacts of their own activities.

Program Summary

Global climate change, caused by carbon emissions from industrialized human activity, is recognized as one of the most serious global threats - and it will soon affect each and everyone one of us. Although travel is inevitable, the impacts from travel activities are one of the main culprits of climate change. Therefore, STI has identified and brought to the US this service that reduces the climate impact of your travel by making contributions to certified carbon-offsetting projects that meet quality standards developed by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF).

Climate change knowledge

a) What is the science behind climate change?
The earth's atmosphere traps heat from the sun; a natural phenomenon without which the earth would be too cold for humans to inhabit.

Human activity generates greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide from burning fossil fuels, industrial processes, and agriculture. These gases add to the atmospheric layer that traps heat. The massive increase in the use of fossil fuels in the last 200 years has resulted in the gradual increase in the earth's temperature known as 'global warming'. This global warming effect is accelerating. Global warming does not mean that the whole world is getting uniformly hotter, as it negatively affects different regions in different ways. The earth’s climates and ecosystems are finely balanced, and a small change can have large consequences. The unpredictability of the global climate system to an increase in average temperatures has led to the use of the term 'global climate change' as a better description of the reality of 'global warming'.

b) What are the consequences of climate change?
The impact of global climate change is expected to be more drastic than all other natural climate changes that have been documented over the last 10,000 years.

Consequences are expected to include more hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding of river deltas, drowning of low lying islands, increased disease, misery and massive global economic disruption. While the regional impacts, magnitude, and rate of change are subject to discussion, it is generally accepted that climate change will:

- increase the earth's overall temperature, which could alter precipitation patterns, trigger extreme weather conditions and cause a rise in sea levels, and threaten fresh water supplies;

- change delicate ecosystems, such as mountain flora and fauna, coral reefs, islands, coastal regions, deserts and national parks; and

- directly and indirectly affect human health.

c) How does travel impact climate change?
Travel and tourism is, essentially and inescapably, environmentally destructive, particularly with regard to transportation and it’s related global climate change impacts. Air and ground transportation alone is one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions that effects global climate change.

An Oxford-based ecological 'footprinting' company, Best Foot Forward, points out that a return flight from London to Brazil produces 2,391kg of carbon. This means in this one trip a traveler uses twice the average annual carbon emissions of an average African (1,200kg), and half the average annual carbon emissions per person globally (4,000kg). An average American, who takes one or two trips abroad, emits 9,000kgs of carbon a year. If everyone in the world emitted this much carbon, we would need two and a half planets to support us all. (Source: Guardian Unlimited February 8, 2001).

What is myclimate™                           

a) The idea behind myclimate™
Greenhouse gases are emitted when fossil-fuelled energy is consumed. One ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) has the same impact on climate change wherever in the world it is emitted - or saved. You can use less energy, travel less, and use public transport, but some emissions are hard to avoid. You can offset the environmental impact of these emissions by financing climate-friendly projects that reduce emissions somewhere else.

b) How does myclimate™address climate change?
myclimate™ invests funds from those who want to reduce their travel related global climate change impacts from air travel, for example. myclimate™ then invests these funds in climate-friendly projects that reduce emissions, thus offsetting, or neutralizing, this negative climate impact elsewhere.

In this context, myclimate provides the following service:

1. myclimate™ calculates the climate impact of travel arrangements that are booked through a myclimate™ travel service provider,

2. myclimate™ finds qualifying climate-friendly projects world-wide,

3. myclimate™ processes payments between the travellers that choose the myclimate™ service and project operators.

The payments are used to purchase and permanently retire so-called emission reduction credits that are generated by qualifying projects and are independently verified.

c) myclimate™is sustainable development in practice
Small communities that need to develop are often short of cash. Development options which are sustainable and which have less impact on the environment usually cost more money up front. It costs more for better insulation, for renewable energy generation, for energy efficiency measures. Farmers need money to put food on the table while they change agricultural practices. Even though sustainable development options are better for everyone in the long term, in the short term there is simply not enough money to change.

This is about empowering communities through commerce and tackling climate change at the same time. It's about empowering you to make a difference.

d) So the idea behind myclimate™ is simple
We calculate the CO2 emissions that your travel arrangement, most importantly the flight, causes (see the distance and pricing chart [pop-up window] for more details about the calculation method). You then neutralize this impact on climate change by sponsoring emissions offsets. The purchased offsets are 'retired' and taken out of the market. The money you pay goes to a local community or business to help fund more environmentally friendly (and lower emission) development options. The chosen project has direct benefits to the local community.

For example, a handful of myclimate™ tickets purchased from flights can finance the construction of a solar water heating system in Africa. This, in turn, replaces the need to burn virgin forest wood and import diesel fuel.

e) myclimate and personal responsibility
The effect of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is cumulative, so acting now has more impact than acting later. Businesses in the US don’t currently have to account for their global climate change impacts from greenhouse gas emissions, travel related or otherwise. And government-backed schemes take time to implement; in some countries the Government is not acting at all and there is growing scientific concern that the agreed emission reductions do not go far enough. In addition, transport is one of the most difficult sectors to make reductions in and international air travel is currently not regulated.

myclimate™ enables you to go beyond Government programs and take direct responsibility for your own actions by offsetting emissions that are hard to avoid. It enables you to secure the additional environmental benefits of early action and channel funds directly to communities to help them to develop sustainably.

About myclimate™
a) myclimate™ Mission Statement
myclimate™ promotes climate-friendly products and services through international partnerships and by fostering the broad involvement of industry, the public sector, and concerned individuals through market-driven means. As a pioneer in this business, myclimate creates a solution that easily integrates into the every-day shopping of organizations and individuals.

b) Who is behind myclimate™?
myclimate™ Charitable Foundation – The myclimate™ Charitable Foundation is based in Zurich, Switzerland. Its Board defines the standards, criteria and processes to ensure the integrity/credibility of all myclimate transactions.