Our Climate Change Policy and Strategy
Your climate footprint is measured when you travel with Basecamp. Our goal: 1. ....is to make sure your footprint is as small as possible. 2. ... is to offset what we (and you) can't reduce. This we do through tree planting.
In the ten years since Basecamp started its first camp in the Masai Mara, the climate challenge has become ever more daunting.
The current scale and rate of climate change facing us is one of the largest environmental challenges the Earth’s living environment has ever faced. As a responsible business we are poised to act now, and to act seriously and ambitiously.Our goal is to contribute positively to the fight against global warming, by being leaders in this field at the corporate level, by operating our destinations as examples of best practice with regards to energy consumption and climate change impacts, and by supporting projects through our Foundation that positively reduces climate change threats.
There are clear challenges to this goal; the most obvious being that our core business is dependent upon transporting people, mainly by air, around the globe. Air travel is a major producer of the greenhouse gases contributing to global warming[1]. Emissions from air travel generated by our business are therefore incorporated into our climate strategy
Our climate strategy
Basecamp Explorer's climate strategy is based on the following five pillars:
1) Documentation, Reduction, and Monitoring of Basecamp-related emissions.
2) Compensation (“offsetting”) of remaining emissions generated by our activities, primarily through tree planting and landscape restoration in Kenya.
3) Information and awareness-raising on climate issues, through our meeting places (guests), staff training, seminars and other activities at our capacity centers.
4) Securing emission-reduction commitments from associates and business relations through dialogue and partnerships.
5) Partnering with and supporting leading organisations and initiatives with documented results in fighting climate change
Pillar 1. Documentation, Reduction, and Monitoring of Basecamp emissions
Goal: Basecamp destinations and corporate practices are considered ‘best-practice’ in the industry with regards to energy efficiency and control of greenhouse gas emissions.
Pillar 2. Compensation (“offsetting”) of remaining emissions
Goal: To offer compensation through tree planting and landscape restoration that at least offsets (ton for ton) the emissions our business represents, including staff and guest air travel, through a transparent, pro-active, and non-voluntary process.
Pillar 3. Information, awareness-raising, and engagement (Basecamp’s “Climate Warriors”)
Goal: Basecamp Explorer is internationally recognized as a travel industry leader in setting the climate agenda, and in using its own infrastructure and resources to convene and promote the climate dialogue.
Pillar 4. Commitments from partners and business relations
Goal: Basecamp Explorer sets as condition of partnering and fundraising organisations that they have defined, ambitious climate policies, and proven actions.
Pillar 5. Supporting organisations and initiatives fighting climate change
Goal: Basecamp partners with and supports other major, influential organisations and initiatives with documented results in fighting climate change.
[1] Air traffic represents ca 1.6% of total GHG emissions, and ca 2% of global CO2 emissions (IPCC 2007)
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