AIBU to ask how many of you are seriously revising whether (or how often) you fly again?

[Thelowquietsea]

We don't fly often (one flight a year tops, mostly to Europe) but reducing my air travel is one of the few differences I can make towards climate change.

And yet, I'm celebrating a big birthday this year. I had an idea to take myself to a retreat quite far away, and now it's 'booking' time, I can't quite bring myself to do it. Especially in light of Australia's tragedy. I'm really torn.

How many of you are making serious sacrifices in this area?

Until China and the US start doing something I can't imagine anything I do will make any difference whatsoever

The US is terrible (like Australia) but China has a higher percentage of renewable energy than several European countries and is in the same ballpark as Germany (25% vs 29%) so we can't keep using them as an excuse.

We have never flown yearly, we took the DC on their first flight last year and I don't know when we'll do it again but that was my first flight since I flew to the States for work 10 years ago. Prechildren we went abroad on holiday every couple of years, always in Europe. The ILs all fly multiple times a year for holidays though and have no plans to stop. I do find it rather obscene TBH and far harder to justify than having children (which we all have). As a species presumably we don't want to die out (that surely is why we're concerned about the changes to the environment, the plants will love a wetter warmer world with higher levels of CO2).

@BeatriceTheBeast
I’m sorry. The population of the world is increasing. We don’t need any more children.
Or are you saying we need more white western children and not so many black African children.

Because if you’re not aware. The planet earth doesn’t care what colour or ethnicity children are.

You think you’re little white kids are going to save the planet dear?

@HakunaRattatas I don’t think I’m the one misunderstanding them. It’s going to take more than a minority to stop flights. It doesn’t take a genius to work it out. Even if there were enough of a market force here, it still would make fuck all of a difference given that cancelling a few commercial flights isn’t even going to make a dent in carbon emissions. It literally makes no difference. If any of you genuinely want to reduce carbon emissions in a way that according to theory will prevent this bout of climate change then you need to invest in/create/campaign for effective non-carbon emitting energy sources. While there are good reasons to want to reduce flights (like air quality and noise pollution), climate change is not one of them.

Where climate change is concerned all this does is make you feel good about yourself and make you look like an idiot when you go out virtue signalling. Carbon emissions and our current energy infrastructures are a huge problem (in many ways that extend beyond just climate change). If we don’t find an alternative then no amount if individual action is going to make a difference.

We decided before the summer to cut down on flying as far as reasonably possible, so got the train to see family in Europe.

DH's parents live in the Caribbean. It's not possible to visit them without flying, so we will continue to take longhaul flights about once every 2 years.

I have family abroad
I intend to keep seeing them and will need to fly in order to do so
So, no

I think it depends. I don,t fly that often and if I want to go anywhere other then mainland Euroe I will likely fly. The main issue are the chanel hoppers who often do it on business.

As much as I would like to I also want to go home often and for the children too. So we will think of other way to offset that.

I’ve never been comfortable with lots of flights for environmental reasons, and it surprises me that people will head off on business or on holidays several times a year without much thought. Flying definitely affects air quality around airports.

So I avoid flying when there are alternatives and that might mean taking extra time to travel or changing destination. I weigh it up before choosing. E.g. This year I flew to attend a funeral because it was the only feasible option. Recently I would say I’ve flown every other year for holiday travel. I’m definitely not say no flying, ever.

Sadly it’s obvious from the responses on here that we can’t rely on people or businesses to cut down voluntarily.

I fly maybe 4-5 times a year to Europe to visit family. The planes are scheduled flights and always full. My local airport Farnborough is the biggest business airport in the UK. The average number of passengers on its arrivals/departures is around 2 people.
Until this situation is altered, I won't stop flying.

Unless the government take off this ridiculous ban on Melatonin in this country I will need to go to the states at least once every 18 months just so I can sleep.

2mg of slow acting weak Melatonin that is the most powerful they can prescribe here doesn’t do a thing for me.

7 mg of fast acting strong Melatonin is what I need

Climate change is as much to do with global population growth and the burgeoning middle classes in both China and India. I don't see how passing on a week in Marbella is gonna do much for the ice cap.

Haven't flown in 15 years (and only 3 times in total, never further than spain). Hope to never fly again. Holidays generally in the UK and we go by train. If going abroad (rare) I would look for places accessible by train/ferry. Also don't have a car, and minimise our impact in a myriad of ways. No excuse for not taking responsibility for my own actions. Saying it's pointless until others act is a cop out.

Climate change is to do with lots of things but the burning of fossil fuels is way up there. It isn’t just about what the other guy is doing - it’s what we are doing! We can do a lot to influence this by making a stand, e.g. when thinking about taking a new job, find out about their travel and environmental policies. Ask whether that business trip can work harder by arranging other meetings around it to save a separate journey. Tell people you are flying less to reduce your carbon footprint.

I am nearly 40, and have flown two return journeys in my life. I don’t intend to ever fly again, I don’t like it and I don’t see the point for me. I doubt it will make much of a dent, but it’s the dent I’m making. I don’t drive either, so am very much reliant on my feet and public transport.

Easy to say that you'll give up flying when you live in a place which is near to a lot of other countries. Not so easy when you live far away and every trip has to be either flying or not going.

No plans to change, we fly as needed.
We actually off on holiday in about a month, will fly to Qld from South Aus
In last year we flew to melbourne twice.
Its cheaper than driving there.

I live between UK & Caribbean so fly 3/4 times yearly. That also includes visiting DC in another European country. I don't own a car so its walking & public transport for me. Hence I don't feel too bad about my 'footprint'

I have not flown in 9-10 years.
Maybe will fly once in next few years only.

I have family overseas and I need to travel for work, but I'm trying to bring in a no short-haul air-travel rule. I'm in the UK and my father is in Ireland, and I go to see him by boat and train unless it's an emergency. But I live on my own so I can suit myself.
Can see that it's much much more complicated for people with families.
But either way, lots of soul-searching about my 'expectations' around foreign travel, holidays etc.

I am really thinking about it ,yes. I can’t fly anywhere now without guilt. Not booking any holidays abroad this year.

Build another runway and all this waste (I'm talking tonnes and tonnes of fuel) goes away.
Just a side note as sometimes what we think is the most environmental answer isnt.

So built another runway so thousands more flight can be squeezed in is environmentally friendly? You realise it will also mean more air pollution from the increased traffic to and from the airport?

Wouldn’t it be better if we flew less so that there were fewer flights altogether?

In the debit column: I live 5000 miles away from some very close family and, nope, not giving up long haul flights to visit them at least once a year anytime soon but I do use Virgin Atlantic so there’s that.

To my credit: I didn’t drive or own a car for the first 40 or so years of my life. I drive now but it’s an electric vehicle and I live in California and therefore have had ‘greenness’ thrust upon me. I think I’m doing my bit.

Atm we don't fly much because we can't stand it with young DC. I think long term we will try and avoid it especially where there are alternatives, e.g. train or ferry for Europe for example. Our biggest reduction in long haul has been DH & I pushing back against unnecessary work travel - refusing to go to Brazil, China & the states.

I fly once a year, return trip, and it's a very long long-haul flight. So not great for the planet.

Easy to say that you'll give up flying when you live in a place which is near to a lot of other countries. Not so easy when you live far away and every trip has to be either flying or not going

Absolutely. I agree