New Green Initiative: Offsetting Yacht Carbon Emissions

Perhaps it is the experience of being close to nature, so intrinsic to a private yacht charter, that resulted in the question: What more can be done in the global challenge to fight climate change?

With this in mind, and inspired by other "green" initiatives of many of the yachts we work with, Ritzy Charters is now offsetting a portion of the carbon emissions generated by client charters. With the assistance of Yacht Carbon Offset, the carbon emissions are calculated at the end of each charter, and the necessary metric tonnes required to offset that amount. Ritzy Charters purchases carbon credits that help fund green energy projects in the Caribbean to offset that amount of carbon emissions. A personalized certificate is issued and provided to the guests as a thank you for their business.

The environmental impact of the company’s activities is decreased when this tool is used. Read on to know more about carbon offsetting, its benefits, and how it works.

How Do Yacht Charters Generate Carbon Emissions?

Whenever a motor is used, gasoline is burned and CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) is released into the air. In this sense, carbon emissions are proportional to the amount of fuel consumed by the yacht’s engine, generator, tender or even motorized water toys.

One gallon of fuel is enough to emit massive amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. This is why carbon dioxide is scientifically associated with global warming and why carbon emissions are such a global concern.

Photo by FDS Milano on Unsplash.

Carbon Offsetting

The United Nations has developed a carbon credit mechanism in which one carbon credit equals one metric tonne of greenhouse gas emissions. This means that one carbon credit must be purchased for every tonne emitted in order to offset the total emission. The proceeds collected from each carbon credit purchased are invested in sustainable energy projects across the world that are pre-selected at the moment the credit is acquired.

At Ritzy Charters, specific data is collected for each charter (for example, engine hours, length of charter, etc.) and used to convert fuel usage into tonnes of GHG emissions.

Funds raised through the purchase of carbon offset credits are designated for environmental initiatives that would not otherwise exist. Some popular examples include building new wind generation plants, tree planting and reforestation, constructing solar power plants and, generating hydroelectric power.

Photo by American Public Power Association on Unsplash.

Go Green!

Offsetting the CO2 emissions from each charter by supporting carbon offset projects is one tool to help protect our planet. Other practices endorsed by the charter industry include the use of solar panels, elimination of single use plastic containers, relying on refillable water bottles instead, etc. Many charter yachts also provide guests with reef-safe sunscreen for their use on charter.

If you’re interested in chartering a yacht (such as Nemo or Big Nauti) that goes above and beyond to be environment-friendly, please ask one of our charter brokers to help you find the perfect choice for your charter.