Postal industry generates less than 1 per cent of global emissions, UN agency says

The postal industry annually generates at least 26 million tons of carbon dioxide, accounting for less than 1 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions, the United Nations Universal Postal Union (UPU) announced today in its first such global inventory.

Postal operations in the UPU’s 191 member countries employ over 5 million people and operate a network of more than 600,000 post offices and nearly 1 million vehicles, representing the world’s largest physical distribution network.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that 38 billion tons of greenhouse gases are emitted annually, resulting in the postal industry’s 26 million tons of carbon dioxide released last year, forming 0.07 per cent of total emissions.

The release of the survey, whose results are based on a questionnaire sent to all UPU member nations, comes days before the start of the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, where nations are set to wrap up negotiations on a new agreement.

“This first global inventory is a major step forward in our efforts to combat climate change,” said Director General Edouard Dayan of the UPU, which is looking into establishing a funding mechanism to offset the carbon emissions of the postal industry.

He pledged the agency’s cooperation with all of its partners, including UNEP, to encourage both today’s and future polluters to slash their emissions.

“Sound management of environmental issues can drive growth,” Mr. Dayan stressed.