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So aviation is polluting industry and changes must be made. Of that there is no doubt.However, if we were to weigh up the top four things you as an individual can do to reduce your emissions, the top three (in order of how many emissions you save) are, according to researchers at Lund University:
- 1.Not having any (or fewer) children
- 2.Eating a plant-based diet
- 3.Living entirely without a car (electric or otherwise)
- 4.Not flying at all
- 5.Recycling all your waste
Environment is no one’s property to destroy; it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect.
Mohith Agadi
Can’t I just buy my way out of this with carbon offsets?
But what about carbon offsets?Isn’t this just a way for the jetset to appease their consciences without having to make any real change to the way they live?Yes, and no.The truth is that technology simply hasn’t caught up with our demands for zero-emissions.There simply isn’t enough zero carbon electricity in the world to ‘buy’, nor are there anywhere near enough trees being planted to keep up with rampant deforestation.
Of course, it should really be the airline not the passenger that is offsetting the emissions – whether you fly in it or not, the plane is still polluting the environment – but some (few) airlines are offsetting their own emissions.The same airlines also offer at the time of ticket purchase a way to ‘pay’ for your pollution. You can also visit sites like carbonfootprint.com, run their calculators and work out what you should be paying for the pollution you create.
So of course it helps to pay for other people to clean up your pollution for you – it also helps to fly with airlines that pay other people to clean up for you.But make no mistake: carbon offsets do not offer and will never be a way to continue living as normal.
So what do we advise?
You can travel. You can fly. But you need to change the way you do it, how often you do it and why you do it.As a consumer, you’re not solely responsible for aviation pollution, but you can, through your thoughts and actions, make a substantial difference. Like many industries involved in creating vast tonnes of emissions, there is hope.The problem is, what can you, as a traveller, do about the pollution aviation creates now?Surprisingly, there is a lot you can do that will have a significant impact.
- 1.Try to eliminate short haul flights from your life.A typical jet uses 75% of all the fuel used during a flight of 450 miles just in take-off and ascent.Only 25% of the total fuel is used to actually make the flight. Can you use a train or bus for shorter (below 500 miles) trips instead?
- 2.If you have to fly short haul, try to fly no-frills. The weight of TV screens, food and drink on short haul flights can increase the emissions by up to 20%. Could you fly no frills?
- 3.Try to take one longer holiday per year than several short ones – long haul is actually one of the least polluting forms of transport per passenger mile. Can you limit yourself to one long haul flight a year?
- 4.Pack light: every additional kg on a plane just adds pollution. Can you fly just with just a 7kg cabin bag and buy toiletries and clothing at your destination from local suppliers?
- 5.Try not to fly Business or First Class – because the amount of additional space and weight dedicated to these seats, the pollution they generate is significantly more. Can you fly coach instead?
- 6.Make a serious (not a token) contribution to carbon capture:
- 7.Don’t fly unless the place you are going to offers something fundamentally different to what you could get closer to home.If you need a beach holiday and you live in the USA, go to the Pacific coast by train, not South Africa by plane.
- 8.When you fly, engage with the place and people you are flying to – spend your money wisely with ethically accredited companies doing things to mitigate climate change.