To achieve our mitigation objectives, we recommend C-Level. They work directly with environmental scientists and communities in vulnerable habitats to develop functional ways to make conservation profitable for local people. They then channel carbon mitigation payments directly into these projects. It sounds straightforward enough, but a lot of thought, science and economics go into it. We think it's worth every penny.
This isn't a case of paying a fee to sweep the problem under the carpet and give us all carte blanche to stampede through Asia. We've always relished a challenge; this is one that we particularly want to help get right, which means asking ourselves the tough questions and ensuring that we consider the details. Our preferred approach is to ensure that we do whatever we can to make sure your travels are positive in every way — for the communities you visit, the conservation and wildlife projects you choose to support, on your guides, the people that you meet — and, of course, for you. We're not here to scold anyone, but if you are choosing Selective Asia because we're a conscientious operator, you may also be keen to consider further reducing your carbon impact using the tools and ideas that we provide to help enable this.
To be certain that your action is making a verifiable difference and to protect your investment over the long-term we’ve chosen to partner with C Level and support the Khasi Hills project in Meghalaya India. Tangible impact is across the tri values that define Carbon Balanced certification: action on carbon (verified and to the highest standard under Plan Vivo), action on forests (both protection and restoration of forests and ecosystems), with communities (all C Level projects deliver full agency to indigenous local communities and support sustainable livelihoods). This ensures world-class community development in India, built around carbon removal.
Mitigation is far from being the sole answer, but it is an important part of what we're doing. We'll be meeting our objectives in phases:
Mitigation of the carbon impact of all flights that we arrange for our clients
Expected launch: Q2-Q3 2023
Mitigate the carbon impact of the vehicles we use throughout your travels with us. From airport transfer to jeep safaris and overnight cruises — all covered.
Expected launch: Q4 2023
Challenges to overcome: These are predominantly technical and include developing a vehicle categorisation system and building journey duration measuring functionality into our itinerary system/ We will then ultimately connect with C-Level’s own systems to ensure that our mitigation payments are accurate and seamless.
We want to ensure that our clients' day-to-day impact isn't overlooked, and hope to include this in our ultimate mitigation package. We're not here to judge — we just prefer to go above and beyond.
Challenges to overcome: Along with calculating and verifying realistic average carbon impact data in a variety of countries and settings, we'd be designing the tools necessary to ensure that we can offset your entire carbon footprint efficiently.