The campaign director of environmental group Greenpeace has been commuting between his home in Luxemburg and the Amsterdam office by plane, the AD says on Tuesday.

Pascal Husting has made the trip for two years, which is against the charity’s policy, the paper says. Greenpeace says flying generates large volumes of CO2 and is one of the major agents of climate change.

Husting said he is unwilling to move to Amsterdam because he moved twice in two years with his young family while director of Greenpeace France. ‘Then my children would have to learn yet another language,’ he told the AD.

Not a luxury

Husting, who started in the job at the end of 2011, used to make the return trip once a week but now does it twice a month. ‘It is not a luxury,’ spokesman Mike Townsley told the AD.

‘On Tuesday he gets up at 05.00 so he can be in the office at 08.00. Then he flies back on Thursday night. Using the train would take 12 hours return.’

The commotion the travel arrangements have caused mean Husting has now agreed to take the train. Greenpeace has also apologised on its website to supporters.