Tourists to Scotland asked to go 'Carbon Neutral"
Tourists to Scotland will in the future be asked to pay a voluntary new “green tax” under a scheme currently being considered by tourism chiefs, environmental groups and the Scottish business community.
The charge – expected to be between £5 and £10 – would be used to offset the environmental damage tourists cause while visiting the country.
20th June 2006
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Rising carbon dioxide levels in the earth's atmosphere, especially from airline travel, is a cause of or global warming and climate change. Offsetting carbon emissions by planting trees or investing in renewable energy projects has become popular with large companies, celebrities and even some airline companies.
“We are all keen to find a solution so that operators can start carbon offsetting in Scottish tourism in the near future”, said Sandy Dear, who is a project manager for the tourism and environment forum of VisitScotland.
Friends of the Earth Scotland believes the benefits of carbon-offsetting are far from clear.
Stuart Hay, head of research, said: “It is the trendy thing to do right now, but on its own it is pretty useless in the fight against climate change.
