Online agent Responsibletravel.com is dropping carbon offsets from its website, saying it is the travel industry’s duty to reduce rather than offset emissions.

The company was one of the first to offer offsets, in 2002, and managing director Justin Francis said it thought “long and hard” before dropping them “for environmental reasons”.

"We believe that the travel industry's priority must be to reduce carbon emissions, rather than to offset,” he said.

“Too often offsets are being used by the tourism industry in developed countries to justify growth plans on the basis that money will be donated to projects in developing countries. Global reduction targets will not be met this way." 

Francis (pictured) said he agreed with Friends of the Earth’s view that carbon offsets were a "dangerous distraction". 

"Carbon offsets distract tourists from the need to reduce their emissions. They create a 'medieval pardon' for us to carry on behaving in the same way, or worse,” he said.

Responsibletravel will instead be giving advice to customers about how to reduce emissions by travelling by train or taking holidays closer to home, or making reductions in areas of life other than travel.

“Tourism contributes to livelihoods, local economic development and the conservation of the world's cultural and natural heritage," he said.

"We will continue to offer a more responsible choice of overseas holiday so that when tourists do fly they can 'make their holiday count' by choosing a more responsible holiday."

The full advice can be seen at responsibletravel.com/carboncaution.

• TC 2009: Peter Long issues eco tax warning (8 Oct 2009)
• Responsibletravel becomes an agent (18 May 2009)
• Responsibletravel.com launches affiliate scheme (25 Jun 2008)