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Reasons to be free from flying
By | December 5, 2007
I thought I would post some of the recent reasons that people have given for being free from flying. This is in part a response to an email earlier in the week from a good friend after he read an article in the Times, “Airlines to make billions from CO2 trade” by the Transport Correspondent, Ben Webster. The peice quotes the author of a new Department of Transport report describing the perverse situation where
“The report, commissioned by the Department for Transport and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, says that the airlines will raise fares by the full value of the permits even though they will pay nothing for them. It concludes: “The consequence of the results set out here is that a high level of free allocation will generate windfall profits.—
WWF assessed the likely boost to the airlines coffers with extra profit of up to £4 billion a year under the present proposals.
I have run various businesses in my life and am not a politically partisan sort of person but sometimes you just wonder who really is running things. . . .
I wish the the values of those who have commented here were better represented by our leaders in business and politics. This is not about consumer choice, it’s about everyone doing all they can to avert the serious and deadly impacts of global warming.
“I’m worried about the consequences of air travel on this planet’s environment. It is also a lot of money saved which I plan to contirubte towards useful causes.”
Hari Sridhar, Bangalore, India
“There are so many wonderful places I can get to without flying, and really enjoy the journey along the way. I have a young daughter, so not only would airports be an absolute nightmare, but I’m thinking more and more about her future and the world she’ll live in, as well as the lifestyle and habits she’ll learn from watching what I do.”
Anon, London
“I’m runnin’ as fast as I can to do the right thing! Who knows, maybe I’ll become airborne on my own. Can I be Gold retroactively? Last year I signed the Silver Pledge, figuring I would have to fly to see my daughter, 2500 miles away. Instead, I took the train, and now with confidence I can be Gold for the coming year also.”
Kathryn Corbett, Eureka, California, USA
“I think flying displaces you in the world as you lose the ability to appreciate the size of this beautiful planet and the changes between cultures you experience when you travel more slowly over land and sea.”
Maria Buitenhuis, Ireland
“I took the pledge because I don’t think that we (i.e. humans) have the right to f*** up the environment just because we can. Let’s be accurate here - the planet’s not at risk, it’s seen much more extreme swings in climate than those we are currently experiencing. It’s just all the species currently living on it that are in trouble, and I kinda like many of those other species…” Sarah Harrison, London
“Stopping flying has been the easiest way of reducing my carbon footprint”
Michael Habermehl, Abingdon, UK
“Leaving the rat-race. Going for simpler life style.”
Hans Borghmans van Brabant, Bangor, NI
Topics: Alternatives to Air Travel, Aviation Industry, Flying Feels Wrong, Stop Flying Stories, Your Experiences |
February 28th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
After 9/11/01 I decided to stop flying because of its global warming impact and because of the connection between oil and war. I have taken one return trip (for business) since then. Since the start of 2007 I have kept a log of all my motorized vehicle transportation (miles and my share of fuel). My total for 2007 was 40 gallons which is about 5% of U.S. average and significantly less than world average.
Michael Winkler
Arcata, California