january-2010

Bridging the
digital divide
Every year, millions of
passengers board KLM fl ights
with a burning desire to discover
new lands. Unfortunately, these
countries can also be home to
children in need – a need outlined in
the UN Millennium Development
Goals. KLM AirCares offers
promotional, logistical and fi nancial
support to NGOs to help them
achieve these goals.
Access to IT technology and the
transfer of knowledge is another
identifi ed goal. To this end, KLM
supports Close the Gap, an
MAKE IT CLICK WITH CLOSE THE GAP
international, non-profi t organisation
which offers cost-effi cient, highquality,
used IT equipment to projects
in developing countries.
Schools, universities, hospitals and
other institutions wishing to improve
their educational and information
facilities can ask for support from
Close the Gap. As well as donating
computers, KLM helps Close the Gap
transport IT equipment to several
destinations worldwide.
To donate money and/or Flying
Blue Miles to this or any other
AirCares charity, please visit www.
aircares.nl or make a donation during
this fl ight (see the last page of our
shopping section in this issue). For
more information on Close the Gap,
visit www.close-the-gap.org
Loss of biodiversity is one of the
biggest threats facing our planet.
Reason enough for the United Nations to
designate 2010 as ‘International Year of
Biodiversity’, which is aiming to halt
biodiversity decrease (currently, up to 100
times greater than the natural rate of
extinction) and to increase awareness of
its importance for our own well-being.
Governments throughout the world
have committed themselves to
substantially reducing the rate at which
biodiversity loss is occurring. In addition,
individual corporations and companies are
calling for a fi rm ‘climate policy’, in which
forest preservation can act as an effective
weapon in the battle against climate
change. Last year, over 500 company
CEOs worldwide signed the Copenhagen
Communiqué on Climate Change, drawn up
by the Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders
Group on Climate Change and Cambridge
University in the UK. Needless to say, KLM
also signed this declaration.
Change in Copenhagen
The communiqué called for a decisive
agreement at the UN Climate Change
Conference in Copenhagen last December
that will result in tough guidelines for CO 2
reduction, fossil fuel replacement, and
deforestation decrease. According to the
International Union for the Conservation
of Nature (IUCN) in The Netherlands, the
KLM PEOPLE & PLANET
Fauna and
fl ora thrive on
biodiversity
Making a difference
latter is especially essential in combating
climate change and its effects. The loss
and degradation of forest land caused by
human intervention is (indirectly)
responsible for 20% of carbon dioxide
emissions.
KLM’s input in combating climate
change rests mainly in CO 2 reduction. With
its young, modern fl eet, a successful fueleffi
ciency policy and the compensation
service CO 2 ZERO for passengers, the
airline occupies a leading position in this
sector.
Destination Nature
In addition, KLM also delivers a positive
contribution to sustaining biodiversity
through its Destination Nature
programme, which incorporates a number
of projects supported by the World Wide
“KLM delivers a
positive contribution
to sustaining
biodiversity”
Fund for Nature (WWF). The programme
provides fi nancial help and valuable
publicity for specifi c nature conservation
ventures. For example, WWF’s Climate
Control Project at the North Pole, which
you can read about on page 87.
Holland Herald TRAVELLERS CHECK 91