British Airways passengers will pay for carbon dioxide emissions

Passengers on British Airways were offered an opportunity to offset the carbon dioxide emissions produced by their flights starting Monday.

Suggested contributions to an environmental trust ranged from 5 pounds (Ђ7.40 US$9.20) for a flight to Paris to 24.99 pounds (Ђ37.05 US$46.00) for a trip to Sydney, Australia.

Customer contributions will go to Climate Care, an Oxford-based organization that sells offsets, contributions to fund projects to reduce the buildup of carbon dioxide. One of Climate Care's current projects is to fund the purchase of stoves in schools in India that are fueled by crop waste, a renewable fuel source, the AP reports.

Climate Care charges 6.50 pounds (Ђ9.65 US$12.00) to offset each metric ton of carbon dioxide.

Elliot Morley, the government's minister for climate change and environment, applauded the project.

"People are becoming increasingly concerned about climate change and are keen to play an active role in tackling it," Morley was qrge organizations have a responsibility to show them how they can do this."