Bert Force One trip guilt free of carbon footprint

BERTIE AHERN’S five-day scramble through Africa was the first Taoiseach’s visit to the continent not to leave a carbon footprint across the planet’s environment.

The 27,000 litres of jet fuel used on his visit to South Africa and Tanzania in a rented DC-9 — dubbed Bert Force One — were “offset” by Shannon-based Le Bas International Air Charter.

Despite the trade and aid mission producing 154,000lbs of CO2 green house gas emissions, Mr Ahern was able to keep a greener than green conscience by having the damage done traded for investment in partnership with windfarms and biomass energy.