Iceland Encounter has signed a contract with the Icelandic Carbon Fund (ICF) to achieve carbon neutrality.
The contract calls for Iceland Encounter to balance all carbon emissions caused by client travel in Iceland – as well as business travel by staff – by making an annual contribution to the ICF.
In return, the ICF offsets carbon through tree planting, since trees sequester carbon and release oxygen. Planting under the banner of the ICF is done in Iceland, in designated areas under a long-term contract with the ICF and carried out by local forestry associations or other contractors.
The work is audited by KPMG Iceland and the planting sites are reviewed by the Iceland Forest Service Research Station Mógilsá. The ICF also submits its financial statements to the Icelandic National Audit Office. Planting has thus far been carried out at Geitasandur in S-Iceland and Úlfljótsvatn in SW-Iceland. It is estimated that it takes 60 years to carbon offset 300 tonnes of CO2 per hectare.
The ICF was founded in 2007 by the Icelandic Forestry Association and the Icelandic Environment Association.
In 2018, the government of Iceland announced plans to make Iceland carbon neutral by 2040. Almost all electricity and heating in Iceland is provided for by renewable energy, hydro and geothermal. Fossil fuels are used in transport and fisheries, and now the aim is set to rapidly decarbonize those sectors, and to allocate increased government resources in this effort.
To learn more about Kolvidur visit https://kolvidur.is/english/ .
