Following the success of the inaugural ARC event in the Netherlands in 2018, the Airport Risk Community initiative will deliver its second summit in Rome on September 18, where the global airport community will discuss emerging risks and trends in the sector. This year’s event in Rome features speakers from Heathrow and Rome-Fiumicino International Airports, the World Economic Forum, as well as sessions on technology, climate strategies and the future passenger experience.
In line with the conference theme of sustainability, Willis Towers Watson, working in partnership with Conservation International (CI), will purchase carbon credits to offset conference-related emissions. These offsets — verified against the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity (CCB) Standards — will directly support community-driven activities that protect and restore critical forests through Conservation International’s REDD+ project in Chyulu Hills, Kenya.
Karen Larbey, director of strategy and planning, transportation industry, Willis Towers Watson, said “Protecting forests and other natural ecosystems is one of the most effective ways to stabilise global climate change, so we are delighted to be partnering with Conservation International to purchase carbon offsets through the Chyulu Hills project. By investing in the protection of these forests we will prevent further burning and clearing, releasing stored carbon and reduce the impacts of climate change on the threatened species and local communities that care for and depend on these forests. “
A carbon offset – or carbon credit – is a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to compensate for emissions made somewhere else. Credits are traceable, tradable and finite: When they are purchased, they are retired forever. This revenue funds projects and activities that protect or restore forests, often supporting local communities with alternative livelihood opportunities that keep trees standing, and it helps fund programmes to do so in perpetuity.
The purchase of certified carbon offsets helps protect forests vital to local communities as well as climate change mitigation. Funds from the sale of carbon credits from Chyulu Hills will directly benefit local communities, enhance forest protection, and protect biodiversity and restore degraded rangelands.
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