Events planners should look at including a carbon expert during the event planning process as part of their decarbonisation efforts.
“From the planning standpoint, although we (take measures to) reduce the amount of carbon in the air, there will always be carbon. As planners, we have to work with carbon experts (to properly offset an event’s carbon),” stressed Daniel Chua, co-founder of MICEcarbon.
One way the business events industry can offset carbon for their events is through verified projects. A solar project in Mongolia, which use solar panels to generate heat and electricity – in place of coal or wood – is an example.
“Mongolia has an abundance of sunshine, many grasslands, and very few trees, so tapping on the power of the sun to generate electricity also means zero emissions,” he elaborated.
However, Chua reminded that solar panels also have a lifespan too, where the panels are usually rated to last for 10 years. They will then need to be disposed of sustainably too.
According to Chua, carbon has different prices too, depending on the quality.
“The cheapest carbon can be bought for US$11 a tonne, (such as) a forestry project in Africa. It can also be very expensive, more than US$100 a tonne, like the project in Mongolia because it involves technology,” he said.
This is why a carbon expert, who understands the many different aspects of carbon offsetting, needs to be included in the event planning process.
“When event planners purchase carbon offsets on behalf of their clients, if possible, they should (also consider) going beyond 100 per cent,” Chua added.
