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?

It’s a nice idea. My youngest is severely autistic and while he just copes with 2.5 hours on a plane, the 24 hour drive to visit his grandparents would be too much.

The whole point of posting was to say - the thing we all can and should do is our best. Whether that is avoiding fast-fashion or flights. And not judge people unnecessarily. Maybe people are doing their best, maybe they aren’t, we don’t know. It’s one thing raising awareness, it’s another thing virtue signaling. I hope we can all be kinder to each other and the world. It’s so easy for higher income people to judge the choices of lower income people

You can go read the report for yourself it's freely available.

I have been dreaming of far-away holidays but we have now decided to stay in Europe and visit Denmark. We thought we might drive, but it is a 15 hour drive to Copenhagen - although it is cheaper than flying and hiring a car ( we have a hybrid we can charge on our journey) and generates far less CO2.

Im one of the only people I know who counts CO2 as one of the most important factors in choosing a holiday.

It’s a shame I think we should all factor it into our plans. Shopping on Vinted and going vegan and recycling doesn’t come close to making up for a long flight! A long flight is many years’ worth of someone’s co2 emissions in most cases.

I don’t think apportioning blame here will be productive. I could say, why should I stop flying a short haul flight annually, when millionaires and billionaires have private jets scooting about all over the world. People can and should make little changes where they can, and ime they do. I might fly each year, but I don’t buy clothes new, always second hand (aside from undergarments etc), I sold my car and choose to commute on public transport, I eat vegetarian/vegan approx 85% of the time, I have made loads of small changes. But I won’t be vilified for a 3 hour flight once a year. Billionaires swarming about on private jets and I’m in my kitchen washing my yoghurt tub? Bit of a joke is it not?!

And I’m not camping for anyone.

Definitely me either. I had to do it as a child. Hated it.

I was talking about trains, not cars

This.

Also methane from cattle accounts for 14%.

Do you know how many countries rely on tourism for their economy @Happyone99 ?? Many that cannot be accessed without flights on limited annual leave and money.

Oh, good. Seeing as I'm also low income, I can continue to judge those buying crap from Shein and Temu.

Not literally zero. Perhaps 0.000000000000000000000001% hey?

However, as a citizen of a relatively wealthy democracy, you can certainly play a part in changing attitudes and influencing your political representatives to change things from the top down, and that might help you feel a tad less powerless.

I avoided for flying for many years, but I eventually got pissed off with the cost of trains. Until governments actually take action by subsidising TRAINS instead of AIR travel, I've given up trying to do the right thing.

Humans ALWAYS love to travel. It's a real urge we have.

We should be campaigning for better public transport. We put up with absolute shite in this country.

Well, I think the words are "holidays" and "aeroplane" (unless you are using American English which as you spelt "labour" with a "u" you are not)

And, start charging excise duty, VAT, & etc on airline fuel.
Why should car & central heating fuel get taxed, but not airline fuel????

Ok. You go vegan and I will stop flying. The beef and dairy industries are far worse offenders re the environment.

it's much too late to stop the endless march of overconsumption and modern life. that train left the station a long time ago, as far as i'm concerned, and all we can do is deal with the issues that arise as they come. but the logic seems to go: fast fashion and buying things that make people happy ; not acceptable. but taking a plane halfway around the world to visit a sunny place because it makes people happy ; acceptable. why though?

The train would take the same amount of time.

Climate has been changing long before humanity arrived on the scene. So not has no impact.

No, I don’t see public transport as part of my holiday to enjoy, only endure. Especially other people’s children lol. It’s using up days of annual leave. Who are these people having months and months off each year who can accommodate this? Teachers and the unemployed?

Oh, do give over

You are being unreasonable as what you should be asking is for people to live low carbon lives not focussing on one thing

eat less meat, fly less, turn the heating down, buy less stuff, walk more

we won’t save the plat by just giving up flying and it is possible to imagine a low carbon world where flying still exists

I mean it’s not great but there is so much opportunity to reduce your footprint

sorry forgot to say that “who causes the most emissions” even the poorest in the UK come under the “rich” criteria

There was actually an improvement in the atmosphere over the pandemic when planes were grounded but op people are flying more and companies are sending people more. Nobody is willing to stop anything

Besides, with AI being peddled as it is, I'm pretty done being preached to about the climate.

Personally I can't stop flying, it's the only way I can visit my family on the other side of the world and have them come to see me. We only fly every few years but there's no other practical way of doing the journey. Planes are a world changing invention that means my family emigrating isn't just waving goodbye and never seeing them again like earlier generations of my family did in the 60's. But cars do a huge amount of damage and aren't necessary if the public transport system was improved. The loss of life from cars alone should be enough to stop their use let alone the climate harm.

Trains usually quicker and much nicer than driving