The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Delta Airlines © Delta Airlines

Delta Air Lines is responsible for transporting millions of people each year to and from places around the world. In the wake of a changing climate, Delta made a commitment to do their part to help offset their carbon emissions by investing in the Conservancy’s forest projects.

Conservation Highlights

In 2007 Delta became the first airline to launch a carbon offset program—today, the airline partners with The Nature Conservancy to offer passengers the opportunity to voluntarily offset the carbon emissions they incur on their flight through an online calculator accessible when they purchase tickets. The Tensas River Basin Project in the Lower Mississippi River Valley, funded in part by a $1 million donation by Delta Air Lines, was the first project in the program and is part of the Conservancy’s forest carbon initiative. The project has allowed the reforestation of 406.3 acres, which over time will sequester a net of 83,705 metric tons of carbon dioxide. Money raised through voluntary carbon offsets purchased by passengers (which will be retired by the Conservancy on their behalf), as well as matching funds by Delta Airlines during Earth Month, was directed to the project, and through March 2012 added almost $275,000 to this initiative.

Having achieved success at Tensas River, the project has been retired from the Voluntary Carbon Offset Program in order to provide donors an opportunity to support new carbon offset projects where financial support is currently more urgently needed. In 2012, Delta Air Lines renewed their commitment to provide passengers the opportunity to offset their flight emissions using another Conservancy project to generate carbon offsets, the Rio Bravo Climate Action Project.