LOT to plant forests to offset carbon emissions

LOT Polish Airlines will be entering a completely new line of activity. In accordance with an international agreement to balance CO2 emissions, Poland’s national carrier will plant maple, beech, and acacia trees. In October, after many years of efforts, member states of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), including Poland, reached a deal on steps to reduce the environmental impact of CO2 emissions. Under the agreement, starting in 2021, airlines will voluntarily plant trees to balance CO2 emissions from their aircraft – this will become obligatory in 2027. Within a year, LOT is planning to already have 19 trees of various species growing around its Warsaw headquarters. The airline industry is currently responsible for 1.3 percent of the world’s CO2 emissions, but according to environmental organizations expect this to rise to 25 percent by 2050. Environmentalists have criticized the ICAO agreement, saying it does not reduce use of fossil fuels.