Reducing the climate impact of your stay

As part of a pilot program, some guests will have the opportunity to reduce the climate impact of their stay by making a climate contribution at checkout.

How contributions are calculated

We partner with Squake to estimate the emissions of your stay based on the type of listing you choose, its location, and the time of year you’ll be there. Those emissions are then matched to the associated cost per ton of CO2 for a specific project that’s reducing emissions and positively impacting climate change.

Where your contribution goes

Currently, contributions go to one of three project types: peatlands, forest rewilding, or pollutant cleanup projects. The project that your individual contribution will go to is specified on the checkout page. Airbnb covers all additional fees so that your contribution goes only to the project.

You can learn more about these projects by visiting our detailed project portfolio page, available in German or English. All projects are reviewed, monitored and then validated for the CO2 they store.

Climate contributions don’t “offset” or “compensate” the emissions associated with your travel through Airbnb. Instead, we are estimating the emissions from your stay to calculate the amount and cost of your contribution to projects that have real climate benefits. These projects reduce CO2 in the atmosphere and are accessible independently of a carbon account.

If your reservation is changed or canceled

Once your payment is complete, 100% of your contribution is transferred directly to the project sponsor. Because it’s sent right away, your climate contribution is non-refundable, and it won’t adjust if your reservation changes.

Our climate commitment

Our first step has been to identify and record our emissions according to the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP) and long standing guidelines under the GreenHouse Gas Reporting Protocols, hosted by the World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

As part of our commitment to net-zero by 2030 under SBTi, we’re reducing emissions, for example, from our office buildings, as well as by helping our suppliers take their own actions. Under these guidelines, we also buy carbon credits like the ones from these projects to count against the emissions we can’t reduce ourselves.