House of Lords: Carbon Footprint
Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked the Chairman of Committees:
What steps are being taken to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of Members and staff of the House of Lords travelling on parliamentary business.
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara):
What steps are being taken to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of Members and staff of the House of Lords travelling on parliamentary business.
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara):
My Lords, the House participates with the House of Commons in a scheme to offset carbon emissions produced from parliamentary air travel booked through the Travel Office. Payments are made into the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund, which funds projects to reduce emissions in the developing world. A high proportion of European Select Committee travel is undertaken by rail rather than air because many of the destinations, such as Brussels, are easily accessible by train.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I thank the Lord Chairman for that excellent reply; it is good to know that the House is taking the issue seriously. He will be aware that CO2 emissions for plane journeys to Glasgow amount to 95.4 kilograms, compared with 21.3 kilograms for train journeys. On journeys to Brussels and Paris, the advantage in favour of Eurostar is 10:1. Does he agree that the House could do rather more to encourage everyone to travel by means that are cost-effective and environmentally friendly? Is there some way in which Members of the House could have the carbon footprint of their journeys identified and pointed out to them?
The Chairman of Committees: My Lords, we are well aware of the advantages of rail travel, for journeys where that is appropriate, over air travel. However, I would hesitate to recommend to noble Lords who live in Scotland or Northern Ireland that they should take the train or the boat.
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© Lords Hansard 16 July 2008
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I thank the Lord Chairman for that excellent reply; it is good to know that the House is taking the issue seriously. He will be aware that CO2 emissions for plane journeys to Glasgow amount to 95.4 kilograms, compared with 21.3 kilograms for train journeys. On journeys to Brussels and Paris, the advantage in favour of Eurostar is 10:1. Does he agree that the House could do rather more to encourage everyone to travel by means that are cost-effective and environmentally friendly? Is there some way in which Members of the House could have the carbon footprint of their journeys identified and pointed out to them?
The Chairman of Committees: My Lords, we are well aware of the advantages of rail travel, for journeys where that is appropriate, over air travel. However, I would hesitate to recommend to noble Lords who live in Scotland or Northern Ireland that they should take the train or the boat.
read more.....
© Lords Hansard 16 July 2008