To ask you to swerve vacations abroad on airplanes

[Happyone99]

Inspired by https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5433252-to-ask-you-to-swerve-shein-temu?page=24

As mentioned above, I personally don’t use Shein or Temu because they ARE terrible. However, why only change bad things lower income people happen to be involved with, rather than starting with things higher income people are involved with

Slave labour and poor working conditions are indeed terrible. So is the climate crisis, exacerbated by rich people flying on airplanes for vacations, and poor people in low-lying countries like Bangladesh suffer worst environmental consequences

Who are responsible for the most emissions and who are suffering the most?

You're not unreasonable to ask, Op, but your responses to other posters are verging on unreasonable 😬

You can ask, and I’ll tell you ‘no’. I think each one needs to make their own decisions on environmental matters. You might well be doing something else detrimental for our environment which I don’t do, but I wouldn’t ask you to stop doing that.

Also, I assume OP is American as she’s referring to “vacation” and “airplanes”. Perhaps she should concentrate on campaigning for her country to rejoin the Paris Agreement rather than lecturing us on here?

You're missing out on a lot on the way.

(I was just thinking about it, and I think this is one of the reasons that people complain that everywhere is so overcrowded nowadays. No, honeypot destinations with convenient links to international airports are crowded! Driving down through France, for example, you just pass pristine town after pristine town, all full of architectural delights and as quiet (and with consequently cheaper accommodation) as you like.)

You do know that aviation only = 2% of emissions.

Fast fashion emits a lot more. 10%

Well… here’s what I think. I do my best. I don’t buy from Shein or Temu, or similar places. I don’t buy/wear fast fashion. I am in the fortunate position where I can buy good quality that lasts. I recycle, reuse, rewear. I walk places where possible. My car is electric.
Our family live abroad. If we don’t fly, we don’t see them. So we fly once a year, combining a holiday with visiting our family. Will I give that up? No.

But I don’t want to go to France and driving is not a relaxing holiday for me.

There is a whole world out there I want to explore and that will involve flights… plus my husbands family are in NZ.. I’m not getting a boat there!

I think you are being unreasonable and so is the OP of the other thread. I don't think you can look at these things in isolation. Emissions are complex and focusing on single areas isn't helpful.

I don't live in the South East.

The emissions from cars per journey are a fraction of those from planes. Although it will be great when they reduce still further through EV use.

YANBU to ask. But if we all stopped our one or two flights a year it wouldn't make a great deal of difference. The frequent fliers, super rich private jet types are the ones that need to stop. I know someone that spends one week a month in a different country and flies every time, they go to visit family so they won't be stopping anytime soon.

I think they don't care

@GalaxyJam exactly… It’s about doing our best. So when some people from lower income households buy from Shein/Temu, maybe it’s not our place to judge

I try to minimise flying, but I'm not going to stop completely.

The "hair shirt" mentality to sustainability isn't, well, sustainable. We need to focus on structual change, rather than rely too much on individuals.

I don’t.

I don't travel abroad so already avoiding....

Nothing - absolutely nothing- we do in Europe ( with one exception - see below) will make the slightest difference while China and other superpowers continue to churn out emissions and use energy at the same rate. So such being the case, it’s a hard ask for Europeans -particularly those living in miserable climates - to give up modern comforts they’ve got used to such as flights to nicer weather.

Our only hope is science and inventing ourselves out of the problems. Shout out to the Earthshot initiative and similar projects.

My elderly parents live in Australia and are going downhill fast in terms of illness.

I'll continue to make my annual flight to them, plus any emergency flight that may be required I am afraid.

ETA- in terms of doing my best re the environment- Dh has been vegan since 2018 I have been vegan since September 1 2025. DH because of ethics around animal rights. Me because of animal rights and the environment (finally went into it after watching Attenborough's Ocean).

Nah, I will judge anyone who buys shite from Shein or Temu.

I won’t be avoiding. Going on holiday once a year to somewhere far flung is probably my greatest joy, we have had such amazing experiences abroad seeing and doing things that will stay with us forever.

Like others on this thread, we recycle, I only buy 2nd hand clothing, (and everything else as much as possible - toys/crockery/furniture). I try and limit our impact on the environment as much as possible but let’s be realistic - asking the everyday human to make these changes won’t help. It’s the factories, the big companies and mega rich who have the enormous footprints and power to change them. No matter how many cardboard boxes we recycle weekly we won’t have any measurable impact on a global issue.

@GalaxyJam wonderful. I just came across that post yesterday and it was driving me crazy how many people were so judgmental and literally virtue signalling

When the water companies stop polluting the seas and riverways, oil companies stop fracking for fuels/covering up oil spills, AI stops using up water reserves etc. then you can start on individuals about their carbon footprints. Otherwise it's like asking your elderly mother to take a dustpan and brush to clear the debris from an earthquake.

A large proportion of the emissions produced by China result from the production of goods that are then shipped to the west. By blaming China you're ignoring the fact that it's driven by western overconsumption.

Always an excuse eh? 🙄

This. An annual holiday is fine. It’s the people travelling by aeroplane several times a year that are the issue.