To ask you to stop flying

[Walkingthere]

We are facing a climate disaster. Our children will have to live through it. And yet I overheard two women today discussing how many holidays abroad they had been on this year. Both over 60 years of age. Obviously it will not directly impact on them.
This is also very common in my social group, people jetting off 4-5 times a year. Mini-breaks, weekends away, European trips, long haul, hen do's, weddings, birthdays. It's unbelievable how much people are burying their heads in the sand.

We need to stop flying. Urgently. Now. My family have not flown in over 5 years. We used to travel a lot, before we realised the consequences. I am putting this here, to make people think, we all need to urgently reduce (ideally stop) flying now.

I take public transport to work (bastard Northern Rail on an 80 mile round trip 3 times a week). My partner cycles to work. We walk - the dog - to the shops. We have a small 11 yr old car which is used maximum once a week, and which we’re unlikely to replace when it dies.

I’ll stop my twice a year flights when people stop driving everywhere merely for convenience / driving mammoth Chelsea tractors in the suburbs each and every day.

People should also stop driving their cars but it's not going to happen.

I've only flown once in my life, am I a good girl

Ageist post!!

And no I’m not going to stop flying.

Did you catch a flight to that holier than though moral high ground you're pontificating from?

Haven't you been watching Brian Cox on The Planets recently?

It's almost certain the Earth will engulfed by the swollen, red, dying, behemoth sun anyway. Look to Mars for our future.... we're a cancer on the planet. Let us burn!

I fly maybe once a decade, I don't have children, I live modestly and in as gentle a way as possible and even I'm rolling my eyes at your hyperbole.

We’re trying OP. Not flying this year and probably not next year, although can’t say never ever again. Absolutely agree it’s one of two things individuals can do to make a difference - stop flying and switch to a vegan diet. Fiddling around with shampoo bottles and plastic straws won’t make a blind bit of difference while we still fly and eat meat.

I'm away for a week with work just now. We are having a week of "sit in a room and get a project done" and I'm the external expert basically and - as it's an underskilled country I'm helping to train the future experts.
No way could I do this for 12 people by teleconference. Sometimes you just can't.
But I have cut down on big schmoozing type meetings partly because of the DCs and I have not missed out.

Do you drive OP?

I haven't flown in 10 years... hate it.

And dare anyone mention that the very best thing you can do for the environment is to not have children. How many do you have OP?

Actually it is one of the worst activities any of us can do in terms of carbon emissions. The responses on this thread are actually really devastating, and demonstrate the level of denial.
I think people should start looking into the impact of flying on climate change, and the actual predictions of what is likely to happen over the next 20-30years.

Weren’t you also afraid you were pregnant with a third dc? Might want to up the contraception op!

We have no kids and we have 1 car. I also have environmentally friendly garden and use minimum heating.
Tell me how my 2/3 flights a year (2 to visit families, can't stop that) are worse than your 2 or 3 kids and 2 cars?

Build a little bridge (from sustainable, locally sourced materials) and get over yourself OP.

I drive an electric car. DH doesn't drive. We fly at most once every two years. We have two children. I bet our carbon footprint is lower than yours OP.

I take one return flight a year, on average. I don’t think I’m the problem and I fail to see why people like me should cut back again and again and again when there are huge industrial companies pumping more crap into the air everyday than I would in a life time.

You want to complain about something, complain about those companies. Or you could “helpfully remind” people not to have children. No? Thought not.

Not a chance OP, I work 50+hr weeks (shifts, lates/weekends) and look forward to our holiday as it's much needed quality time spent with my kids and husband. There are other better ways to combat climate change, planes won't stop flying anytime soon

Old unit: I don't have a TV so no I haven't watched Brian Cox.

Apparently just a handful off ships moving cargo around the world cause more pollution than all the cars.

If we could all simply buy everything grown/produced locally that would make a huge difference. I don’t think it’s possible though when you consider that the UK cannot produce enough food for its population. That’s without any other products, or even medicines.

Major changes need to made though.

Virtue signalling holier than thou nonsense

Fuck me, some of the responses on this thread are breathtakingly scary. Really proper scary. I guess there's nowt like denial.

No car, no children. And certainly not in denial. Would you get off your high horse. Jesus.

It's interesting how defensive / aggressive the reactions are on here. I am actually not taking the higher moral ground or judging anyone. I am actually very worried about the environment, our plant and our future.

@RhubarbTea nobody is denying the effect of flying, they are pointing out the OP's inconsistencies in ordering us not to fly

OP I hate to be a pedant, but you should really state that you mean flying in a powered aircraft. I cannot see that gliding harms the environment at all.

You should also specify if you mean large commercial airliners, as opposed to small private planes...and what do you propose to do about the RAF and Fleet Air Arm who fly for our defence?