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When disaster strikes, we often see the best of humanity; with people coming together to do what they can to support those in need and those on the frontline. When we can’t donate our time or skills, the best thing we can do is donate money to organisations that are on the ground doing the work. Knowing which organisation to donate to can be a tricky decision to make because not all donations are spent the same.
This is an important thing to note— and something to make people aware of— because the lack of public understanding of how donations are allocated and spent caused serious PR problems for frontline organisations during the 2020 bushfires, that prevented the public from supporting those most in need.
There tends to be a misconception that when you donate money to a charity, that charity is going to give your money to those in need. But that’s not how it works.
Different stages & roles in disaster response
Different organisations and charities perform different roles in disaster response, so any donations are spent according to what is needed for each organisation to best fulfil their role.
Stages of disaster response; initial response (search and rescue); relief (providing food, shelter, and sanitation); rehabilitation (basic services restored); reconstruction (restoration of full services); mitigation (risk assessment and prevention); preparedness (contingency planning and preparing for future emergencies).
While some organisations are involved in the initial response, with search and rescue efforts, other actors are there to support relief, rehabilitation, or reconstruction efforts.
If you would like to support initial response efforts during a disaster, and support those who are rescuing people that have been affected, donate to organisation like the State Emergency Services (SES), or rural firefighters.
Not everyone needs to be rescued during a disaster, others will need to be evacuated from their homes, or be provided with emergency accommodation. Disaster relief efforts, such as providing people with shelter, beds, meals, medical aid, and support during a crisis can be costly.
If you want to support these evacuations, outreach, and relief centres, donate to organisations like the Australian Red Cross.
People rarely receive money
During a disaster, people who have been affected will rarely receive cash themselves. If they need to buy clothing, food, fuel, or essential items, they might receive these items directly, or be given vouchers. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing— vouchers ensure that donations are actually being spent on the items that are needed, and organisations often have partnerships with local businesses or big corporations that allow them to buy in bulk or provide items to people that are needed but at a much more affordable rate than if individuals had purchased them for themselves.
If you want to support people who are trying to rebuild their lives during or after a disaster, Vinnies volunteers provide food, clothing and furniture, as well as other material and financial assistance.
Unrequested donations hinder recovery efforts
Sometimes you might think that items you have lying around your house could be going to good use, but more often than not, unwanted items only make recovery harder. Individuals and organisations know what they need, and they will request it. What’s worse, is when people see disasters as an opportunity to “donate” their old junk. It’s surprising to hear stories of the “donations” people receive after a disaster that are unusable, ranging from rotten food and clothing that is damaged to broken kitchen goods and toys. The rule is simple: if you wouldn’t want to receive it yourself, or if they don’t need it, don’t give it.
If you would like to donate specific items to individuals, families, or organisations working with communities on the frontline, GIVIT is a great organisation that publishes specific items that are needed. You can choose to donate the item if you have it, or fund the specific item yourself. If possible, it’s often better to fund the item during a crisis so that those affected can shop locally and support small businesses.
By Loughlin Shannon
Now entering its third year, Australia has seen many highs and lows during the global pandemic. Covid’s impact stretched beyond just our health system, with Australia’s economy reaching record highs as businesses adapted to the changing times, but also record lows amid Covid case surges.
Few expected these economic highs and lows to occur so close together, but in true Roaring 20s style, 2022 brought us just that. After a $21 billion Christmas cash splash, ANZ data shows Australia’s retail spend has now fallen to Covid lockdown levels. And Sydney’s spending is at its lowest point since the pandemic began.
With many Aussies tightening their purse strings once again, changemakers may be wondering how to make a difference on a budget. So, with Australian international and interstate borders (mostly) open, let’s start with an airline add-on most change-making travellers won’t think twice about.
Your Carbon Footprint: Polluter Propaganda?
Since British Petroleum popularised the idea of one’s own ‘carbon footprint’ in a 2003 advertising blitz, awareness of consumption-driven pollution has risen substantially. And every step of the way, big businesses have been eager to encourage consumers to take personal responsibility for their environmental impact.
Carbon footprint calculators became widespread online, and although methodology varies between services, it’s now never been easier for one to seek out an estimate of their own environmental impact. But the rise of e-commerce, spurred on by the pandemic, began the trend of bringing one’s footprint to them before they even asked.
Insert Graphic One
Buy-now-pay-later service Klarna’s app shows customers the emissions created from delivering their online shopping — a journey I covered extensively last year. And the major Australian airlines go one step further, selling carbon offsets to their passengers when they check out online.
Those airline offsets may seem like a good deal for changemakers. I took advantage of an offer to offset 149kg of carbon last year for just $1.70, and 100 per cent of my contribution was passed on to carbon offset projects around the country. My donation was even matched dollar-for-dollar by the Qantas Group.
But a 2017 report from consumer advocacy group CHOICE found that while the airlines’ carbon offset programs were Australian Government accredited, none of them were certified by Gold Standard — an international standards body established by the World Wildlife Fund in 2003.
And ‘accredited’ programs don’t necessarily offset the exact amount of carbon you’re paying for. A 2021 Guardian/Greenpeace investigation found 10 forest protection schemes made predictions that “were often inconsistent with previous levels of deforestation” and “overstated” the threat to the trees they allegedly protected.
Verra, the agency which accredited those projects, strongly disputes that investigation’s findings. In a statement, they wrote “the Guardian article exhibits clear bias,” and “is riddled with substantive errors that betray ignorance about how carbon offset credits work”.
Price Match Carbon Credits From the Comfort of Your Couch…
So your mileage with carbon credits may vary, but let’s say you’ve been travelling over Christmas and you want to buy some anyway. Where can you get the best deal, and how can you be sure every kilo of carbon you pay for is really offset?
The answer: airline offers aren’t the place to look. While the airline I flew with charged me $11.41 per tonne of carbon, you can get a far better deal by shopping around. And the United Nations operates an online marketplace where you can do just that.
The UN Carbon Offset Platform allows anyone to purchase carbon credits directly from Clean Development Mechanism projects around the world. After you make a purchase, you get sent a certificate you can personalise, showing how much carbon you’ve cancelled and why you cancelled it.
So how does the UN’s platform stack up? Right now, two-thirds of the CDM projects listed beat Jetstar’s offer on carbon price. And the UN says all CDM projects “meet strict technological standards and are rigorously scrutinised through an international monitoring, reporting and verification process”.
The cheapest project on the platform right now — a rice husk based cogeneration plant with 2.5MW of generation capacity for the Indian electricity grid — will sell you a tonne of carbon for just $4.88. That’s a whopping 57 per cent saving compared to Jetstar’s checkout offer.
SAVE SOME MONEY: Shop around for carbon credits to get the best deal!
You may be getting a raw deal buying carbon offsets with your plane ticket, but that’s not the airlines’ fault. The ABC reported in December that 2021 was a “bull market” for domestic carbon credits, driving up prices for everyone. But airlines do have control over another part of the carbon credit story.
…Or Leave the Airlines to it
Of course, you could save even more money on carbon credits by just letting your airline pick up the tab. A 2016 agreement made by the member states of the UN International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requires airlines — including those in Australia — to buy a certain number of carbon credits every year themselves.
The agreement is called the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), and it initially required airlines to have net-zero emissions growth beyond an average of 2019 and 2020 levels. This would mean if an airline emitted more carbon in 2021 than the 2019/20 average, they would have to offset the difference.
But, just like everything else, Covid changed this plan for the worse. 2020 saw a halving of flight activity compared to 2019, which reduced CORSIA’s predicted emissions average by 25 to 30 per cent according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
This would have substantially increased emissions reduction requirements, so the International Air Transport Association asked the ICAO to remove 2020 from the average. ICAO agreed, increasing allowed emissions, which reduced carbon offsetting requirements by between 25 and 75 per cent.
The IEA says a combination of this change and a slow post-Covid recovery for the aviation industry will eliminate carbon reduction requirements for airlines entirely. “If flight activity rebound takes as long as most industry projections expect, this decision will nullify any offset obligations during CORSIA’s pilot phase.”
So, don’t feel too guilty about skipping out on carbon credits when flying, the airlines sure didn’t.
SAVE EVEN MORE: Leave cancelling carbon to the big polluters — they’ll be required to.
Save money and the planet this January with the Humanitarian Changemakers Network! We’ve got tips for getting the best deals on reducing your carbon footprint, shopping mindfully, and the most effective charities to support. Just go to humanitarianchangemakers.net/news or search ‘Changemaker Q&A’ on your preferred podcast platform.
This week: are high flying changemakers getting a raw deal on carbon credits? We’ve found the best deal for travellers to reduce their emissions — and it’s not from airlines. Search Changemakers Q&A on your preferred podcast platform to listen now!
Now entering its third year, Australia has seen many highs and lows during the global pandemic. Covid’s impact stretched beyond just our health system, with Australia’s economy reaching record highs as businesses adapted to the changing times, but also record lows amid Covid case surges. With many Aussies tightening their purse strings once again, changemakers […]