This is a tough one. Aviation is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas. To cite Dr Keith Tovey who is the energy science director at the University of East Anglia's carbon reduction project:
"If you fly to Sydney, Australia, a plane will emit 5.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide per passenger, which is as much as an average household will emit all year."
Can you imagine?! Other comparison says that one flight to Florida from UK causes the same amount of CO2 as one average active car in UK in a whole year.
The challenge is a very serious one for most of us, for various reasons. With aviation business in the rise and more people flying than ever before - predominantly because of the low-fare airlines like Ryanair - interest in air travel is big and rising. Today's way of life for many people involves air travel across the continents and the globe. I am not talking about vacation alone, but also about business, family, educational and other reasons.
For example, I live and study in Cambrige UK, but my true home, my friends and parents and some important activities revolve around Maribor, Slovenia. I live between these two worlds and it is not only me that decides. I can not travel with my 1 year old from Slovenia to England with a train or bus at this stage, and of course becuase of low fares (which are indeed getting really low!) of the air tickects other ways of transport are considerably more expensive. Not to mention the time.
So the stakes are high in this matter, and not only for me and my familly. Friends of the Earth organisation is pushing a high tax on air travel. The passengers and the firms alike would have to pay much more. It is interesting to see what people think about this on "plane pollution on BBC talk". Also, in the States there are initiatives and petitions that seek curbs on plane emissions.
Please click your answer on the survey on the right side of this blog (if it is still on - it will be replaced on 1.1.2008 with another one). Till now no one of the ten people who answered the question has actually took action not to fly because of this considerations. Including me, that is.
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3 comments:
The world is just too connected into one village today and air-traffic is an important part of this phenomenon... environmentalists will fight a very a hard battle. Not sure they can win though.
hate to sound like a goody goody, but i'm gonna get a bus instead of a plane from london to spain. lasts 24 hours compared to just three on the plane, but we've got to start doing something!
a battle worth fighting i reckon
Great job, my friend (second "anonymus":))!
As you have probably noticed, the results of the survey on this blog show that you are a rare species.
My first move was not yet to take a bus or train instead of a plane, I am not there yet. But I have decided to cancel my planned air-travel for this spring. Instead of two or three flights to Slovenia in 2008 I plan to do just one, or even none, if it will be possible.
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