Boris Johnson ups carbon footprint by courtesy flight to New York

Hélène Mulholland and Patrick Wintour
The Guardian, Tuesday 15 September 2009
Boris Johnson will today help out British Airways's commercial interests by speaking out against using video conferencing as a way of doing business, at a press conference in New York which he is attending courtesy of four business class tickets provided by the airline.
The mayor of London's backing will again lead to questions on the Conservative commitment to cutting unnecessary CO2 emissions. Government advisers argue that restraining air travel is a prerequisite of reducing overall carbon emissions. Research has suggested that business air travel affects carbon emissions significantly, partly because the profitability of such passengers allows airlines to offer economy class tickets.
The European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association claims that a 20% cut in business travel would save 22m tonnes of CO2 each year – "equivalent to taking one third of the UK's cars off the road".
Carriers with large business class cabins have higher emission levels per passenger than those that carry many more economy passengers in the same aircraft type.
In July BA launched a "Face to Face" campaign to encourage business meetings in person, claiming that "tangible, human connections are a crucial driver of business growth".
The mayor's spokesman said Johnson's role at the BA campaign in the terrace lounge at Terminal 7 of JFK airport today would be to see the winners of the campaign off to pitch their business ideas face to face in London.
Asked how this fitted in with the Conservatives' call for a reduction in unnecessary air travel, his spokesman said that the mayor supported video conferencing as a tool of business, but was keen to bring tourists and business leaders to London: "Air travel account for a very small part of carbon emissions. It's important to contain the growth, and Boris Johnson has been fiercely critical of plans for a third runway at Heathrow.
"But the mayor believes that flying remains important to London's prosperity."
On travelling courtesy of BA, the spokesman said the airline was "very close partners" with Visit London, the agency promoting tourism to the capital. "Taxpayers of London will appreciate the mayor is able to conduct such an ambitious marketing drive for zero cost."
A study of Harvard Business Review subscribers, commissioned by BA, found that 95% believed that face-to-face meetings were the key to success in building long-term relationships, while more than 50% said recent restrictions on business travel had hurt their business.