Carbon cost of place in the sun

Wednesday, 05, Sep 2007 08:43

Owning a property abroad can increase an individual's carbon footprint by an average of 28 per cent.

Travel to and from a foreign destination, plus the energy used while at an international residence, can add literally tonnes of carbon to the average output, according to research released today by currency specialist HiFX.

While 78 per cent of the population claim to be making some effort to reduce their environmental impact at home, 64 per cent would not consider the environmental costs of travelling to and from a property abroad.

As many as 41 per cent of those questioned said they were unconcerned about carbon emissions from their foreign property.

"With 27 per cent of a person's carbon footprint typically made up from domestic energy consumption this lax attitude abroad could add tonnes to individual's carbon footprints, let alone the travel to get there," commented Mark Bodega, director of HiFX.

"It is nice to enjoy these places for now but ignoring the environmental effect of owning two houses could impact the enjoyment of these places in the future."

HiFX calculate a second home in Cyprus creates the largest additional carbon footprint, as people visit their property so often.

Based on the distance from Heathrow, the average number of visits annually and the location of destination airports, a second home in Cyprus is estimated to add 4.32 tonnes of carbon to the average footprint.

And while the average additional footprint for a property is 2.79 tonnes, it rises dramatically in certain destinations.

Owning a second home in South Africa increases your annual carbon footprint by 4.24 tonnes for example, whereas Canada adds 3.44 tonnes and Cape Verde 4.08 tonnes.