Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, 7 October 2014 - UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Environment Programme Executive Director, Achim Steiner, along with several other high-level officials, have launched a carbon offsetting application to help participants at the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 12) offset their carbon emissions.
The Carbon Offsetting Fund calculates the carbon cost created by participants' travel and stay in Pyeongchang - the host of this year's CBD COP - and aims to spotlight the need for individual's to take responsibility and account for their carbon footprints.
Mr. Steiner, and fellow high-level officials at the Conference, including the H.E. Seongkyu Yoon, Minister of Environment of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Choi Moon-Soon, Governor of Gangwon, Mr. Braulio Dias, Executive Secretary, CBD, used the new application to pay off their own carbon debts and show support for the initiative.
UNEP has been measuring, reducing and offsetting its own climate footprint since 2008. The annual exercise includes the procurement of Certificates of Emission Reductions against greenhouse gas emissions from its internal operations that include all business travel, power consumption for its premises and vehicle use.
The Carbon Offsetting Fund is running from the 29 September to 17 October and is engaging the general public, as well as COP12 participants, to offset their carbon emissions. The funds raised over the 19 days will be used to support local communities and indigenous peoples around the world.
