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A tourism consultant is promising to jump in Wellington harbour if he takes a plane instead of a train. A lawyer has publicly vowed to stop flying altogether. Over 40 young professionals are bubbling with conversation about how to enjoy travel without harming our climate. All of this has come to the surface in just over a week. Something is definitely in the air.
Flying is generating heat in more ways than one. Emissions from aircraft make up a relatively small proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions, but flying is a climate-costly form of travel. Emissions in the aviation sector are also growing rapidly, with cheap fares encouraging more people to fly more often. Yet growing numbers of people are looking for alternatives to flying. Pressure is also building for air travel to be included in a new global climate treaty at Copenhagen in December, via a global levy and/or cap on aviation emissions.
Internationally, the United Kingdom’s Committee on Climate Change has recently advised their government that the cost of air travel needs to rise enough to deter people from flying. They also advised that developing countries should be compensated for damage caused by flying. Developing countries are pushing for a global levy on air travel too, which would help fund climate change adaptation in the poorest parts of the world.
These discussions do not seem to have made it into mainstream media in New Zealand, but there is growing awareness about the impacts of flying. For example, one of the beauties of social networks like Intersect is that they can provide a useful pulse for issues in society that are becoming more important. When a conversation emerges and gets lots of attention, it means that there is lots of energy associated with it. When the Flightless Birds group on Intersect was formed recently and suddenly took off, it obviously tapped some latent concerns about flying. Here are a few gems from that conversation so far:
I thought I was the only freak who was 'taking things so seriously' that they no longer fly... But apparently not! (Rimu)
I've been a Grounded Kiwi now for two years. It was hard at first, but now I can't believe I found it such a difficult decision to make. Of all the places in the world to be Grounded in, New Zealand would have to be one of the best! Stunning and diverse scenery, [and]...I find that traveling the slower way allows me to appreciate every day the beauty in our landscape. (Jinty)
Feeling like a guilty meat-eater at a vegan picnic, I must say how difficult it is to imagine making a choice not to fly (Rachel)
We chose to have our 'Winter sun' holiday in Northland this year… Goodbye Vanuatu, hello Ruawai Pizza Bar on a Wednesday night! Yum. I told people we had chosen to save our emissions and spend money locally...although I got a few snide remarks from the dinosaurs, most people were totally supportive, especially the homegrown tourism industry. (Angela)
I dream of cheap and fast train services with luxurious sleeper carriages for long distance. Currently, I'm trying to organise non-air travel around Europe and Scandinavia without spending my life savings, it's insane that flying is the cheapest option. (Jasmine)
...the alternatives have to be cheap, easy and attractive to the lazy majority. I wonder what happened to make air travel so cheap and bus/train/ferry travel so expensive? (Kelly)
...when I choose what’s lighter for the planet, my heart sings, my soul soars and that’s really how I want to live. I’ve been a flightless bird regarding holidays for about a year now. And I’m now taking a stand to be grounded in NZ thanks to your inspiring comments. (Leanne)
...travel has enabled many of us incredibly enriching life-changing experiences… Being amongst the world's wealthy, this is a privileged debate to be having. I agree a key solution is a system that captures the 'real' cost of the travel, instead of externalising environmental costs for future generations to mop up for us. I'm up for supporting anything that gets us some sweet trains! (Freda)
Some common threads in this conversation are:
- a desire to enjoy travel and connect with loved ones in good / less harmful ways
- support for a system that captures the true climate costs of air/train/bus/boat travel
- the joys that come from travelling more slowly
- enthusiasm for a much better train system in New Zealand
- the pleasures and benefits of travelling closer to home.
I am excited about where this conversation is heading. For too long, the harmful impacts of flying have been put in the ‘too hard’ basket. That is precisely why we need to be having hard conversations like this. I am also heartened by the constructive approach that people are taking to create better alternatives than flying. Kiwirail, for example, now has a growing crew of supporters who are keen to develop a better train system (although they may not be aware of that yet). What a great position for a company to be in!
When I explored my own travel impacts recently, I also found a subtle shift take place in me: a growing enthusiasm for slow travel. I am now favouring trains over planes for my domestic travel and taking buses and boats for shorter trips. I am making time to travel slowly. I am talking with friends about sailing to Samoa next winter if we agree not to get on a plane before then. I am even tempted by the idea of cargo cruising. I am planning to make fewer trips but take longer each time. I therefore look forward to the journey ahead. I can feel good about spreading my wings without taking flight.
You can find more of Nick's blog posts on Re-Be.
Photo via VapourTrail on Flickr.
