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What are carbon emissions, and why do they matter?

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, often called carbon emissions, are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. While these gases occur naturally, human activity—especially the burning of fossil fuels—has caused their levels to rise rapidly. The most significant GHGs are carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Because carbon dioxide is the most common, emissions are typically measured in units called carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e).

Greenhouse gases act like a blanket around the Earth, holding in heat that should escape into space. By relying heavily on fossil fuels, we keep adding carbon to that blanket—warming our planet and fueling climate change.

_{© Polar Bears International}

As the climate continues to change, we see firsthand its impacts in the northern community of Churchill, Manitoba, where we operate our tours. Summer temperatures have steadily risen, and the period during which Hudson Bay remains free of sea ice has grown longer—leaving polar bears stranded on land for extended periods of time.

Sea ice is vital not only for polar bears but for all of us across the globe. Often called nature’s air conditioner, it helps regulate our planet’s climate. For polar bears, sea ice is essential for survival: it is the platform from which they hunt seals, their primary food source. As the length of time Hudson Bay is covered in ice decreases, polar bears face shorter hunting seasons and longer fasting periods on land.

_{© Kt Miller / Polar Bears International}

There is still hope for us all to make changes that will help support our climate and the preservation of polar bears. We would suggest visiting our allies Polar Bears International to learn how we all have an impact and a role to play.

Our Emissions

It’s no surprise that we create emissions through our operations. That’s why we work with our industry partner, Synergy Enterprises, to calculate our annual GHG emissions. Having a third party involved helps ensure accuracy and a fair, unbiased approach. In 2024 our total emissions were 1452 tCO2e.

Aviation fuel remains our largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, despite a slight decrease from 2023. We’re committed to continuing efforts to optimize our flights to reduce our impact on the planet while still providing meaningful guest experiences in Churchill.

Reducing Emissions

Our biggest undertaking to reduce emissions is the conversion of the touring Tundra Buggy from diesel to electric propulsion. Operating a single EV Tundra Buggy avoids 15.74tCO2e each year. Over the next 25 years, we will avoid approximately 2316.5tCO2e by converting our touring fleet to EV. You can learn more about the EV Tundra Buggy here. 

_{© Alex Cupeiro}

In addition to the EV Tundra Buggy conversion, we are reducing emissions by including low to zero emission activities in our tours. Imagine riding across the frozen Churchill River on an EV Tundra Buggy to snowshoe or fat tire bike through the snow covered forest in the winter. You can do that with us!

Offsetting Emissions

There’s a lot of conversation around companies becoming carbon neutral, but we’ve chosen not to take that path. At first, this may sound surprising, given our strong commitment to sustainability and sharing in the stewardship of the land where we live and operate. After a lot of consideration, we decided that offsetting our carbon emissions for a carbon neutral claim did not make sense for us. If you are not aware, carbon neutral is achieved by purchasing carbon offsets to balance out emissions. Carbon projects range from tree planting to ecosystem protection. Sadly, the carbon market is not a regulated market, and it is not something that we are comfortable investing in. 

Instead of investing in carbon offsets, we have chosen to invest in Churchill-based tourism infrastructure and field-level conservation programs. This includes our support for environmental initiatives with Polar Bears International, Raincoast Foundation, and Assiniboine Park Conservancy. This decision was not made lightly, as we know the selling power behind the carbon neutral claim.

_{Frontiers North Adventures has invested for over 20 years in Polar Bears International's field programs that are operated from Tundra Buggy}® _{One. © Alex Cupeiro}

Our priority has been to ensure that the funds we invest in offsets, carbon or otherwise, benefit the communities and environments that we call home, and reinforce the support for our allies in conservation. 

We take great pride in earning the trust of those who choose to travel with us, and we will continue to walk the walk and talk the talk so that our guests can be proud to say that they have travelled with Frontiers North Adventures.