After Covid, would you give up flying to combat climate change?

[Aprilrainbow]

After a horrid year we all want a holiday but would you be prepared to give up flying to combat climate change or is that a pre covid thing now? No axe to grind, just interested in peoples views.

[quote Malin52]@BefuddledPerson I'll happily keep the many hundreds of thousands of tax money I've spent on schools and hospitals and child benefit that I've never used. So that's all cool then. I'll be able to get the finest of arse wipers in my old age. [/quote]
Oh dear. You need a holiday perhaps!

I think we're all in this together, those with children and those with out children.

I'm backing away from the discussion now as it is pretty far out there.

Actually, the biggest impact everyone in this country could have is to stop buying from Primark, B&M, The Range and any other shop that is completely filled with products manufactured and shipped from China.

Buy less of everything use everything until it can’t be repaired anymore. Make sure everything you use has been manufactured in Europe. We both work locally and use about £50 worth of petrol a month, between us.

I have one child but we don’t fly, don’t buy new toys (she couldn’t care less) or clothes. It is amazingly cheap. There are enough clothes and toys already in the world.

Stop buying cheap plastic shit from China. The countries addiction to that stuff is what’s going to drive the climate to the brink.

I do think children and all the other things should be included in any discussion of climate change.

A lot of the vocal 'no one should fly' people are perfectly happy making their choices but demanding that others can't make their own.

Carbon credits would be a great way to level that up so we all get to choose what we want but within a limit.

I get to fly but haven't had children. Why is that any worse than those that choose to have multiple children but don't fly. After all each of those children could go on to be frequent flyers and do even more damage to the environment than my number of flights. At least my 'damage' stops with me.

So yes a credit system would be sensible and would stop this 'I don't do it so you shouldn't'.

No, much of dc's family live abroad where flying is the only realistic option. We'll be going as soon as we can and more often to make up for this year. We all miss them so much.

JamSarnie is right. There is way too much “I don’t, so you shouldn’t” in so many conversations. Really the conversation should start by listening I guess - what do we need individually and collectively? What do we need to do individually and collectively to get us there? Some of that is going to be about ‘consumer/lifestyle’ decisions but a huge amount of it is not.

We already had. DH and I agreed before covid that we'd holiday abroad every 2-3 years rather than every year.

I do have family in Australia though, so one of those flights will be long haul.

We don’t fly anyway very few plane trips in my life. My kids have never been on a plane.

This is a work in progress for us. My family live abroad and I miss them so much, but I can't bring myself to get on a plane anymore, let alone drag the family along. We last flew back 5 years ago (and before that it was another 5 years). I would like to see my DSibs again and for my DC to experience more of my cultural heritage, but not at the expense of the planet, the people whose lives are already impacted by rising sea levels or desertification, the species on the brink of extinction. I figure that, if I want the DFam connection badly enough, I could always think about moving back.

Business travel is the issue and I’m guessing that will be massively reduced now.

The interesting thing will be prices after Covid - with a massively pared down airline sector will they be prohibitive for many people?

Not planning on limiting flights.
I’ve already booked 2 holidays (short haul) for next year and just about to book NYC for Nov/Dec 2021.

@Ninbuscl

I can’t believe the people who are saying not a chance I love to travel. What on earth will happen if people aren’t willing to try to combat climate change.

Other ways to cut down your emissions.

No. Travel is incredibly important to me and there are other things I would rather limit to help combat climate change. I buy most of my clothes second hand for example. I also don't drive so I don't own a car and I walk most places, including to work. I recycle and buy food ethically and locally where I can.

Business travel is a lot more of an issue than someone going to Mallorca once a year for a holiday IMO. Although if this is reduced then airline prices might go up meaning only the wealthy can afford to travel.

@oatmilk4breakfast

JamSarnie is right. There is way too much “I don’t, so you shouldn’t” in so many conversations. Really the conversation should start by listening I guess - what do we need individually and collectively? What do we need to do individually and collectively to get us there? Some of that is going to be about ‘consumer/lifestyle’ decisions but a huge amount of it is not.

This and yes, what jamsarnie said. I get this is a discussion on flying on a travel board but to look at the bigger issue you have to look further than just flying.

We all have a responsibility to look at our complete footprint and be a bit more ruthless about what we can do. I like the use of "individually and collectively".

And of course it's even bigger as a previous poster pointed out, industry have a massive role to play.

I will continue to fly (prices allowing) once a year but accept that choice means I need to make other sacrifices. If others do the same that's a good starting point.

Very few of the families that I know who have three or more children ever travel abroad.I think that it's more a question of affordability, so the question of travel vs children isn't that relevant.

I haven't been on a journey by plane for 15 years now, due to a phobia.

But after the year I've had I've decided that the real fears lie much closer to home and intend to take my family on their first holiday together by plane.

Pick your airline carefully. Some use fuel efficient engines and are nearly carbon neutral. Indeed your air miles might be better than say 200 cars driving to the south of France vs 1 x 2 hour flight.
So yes I will be still be flying. But I do my airline research.
Don’t fly with someone who uses fuel inefficient ancient Boeing’s for example

No, and if anything, I will be travelling more.

My husband would like to (very keen environmentalist). Things came to a bit of a head a couple of years ago when I said I’d never have married him if he wouldn’t fly (he previously did without complaint).
Since then we’ve come to a sort of compromise in that we will do more Non-flying holidays - we’ve taken the train to Switzerland for example- but flying occasionally (def not more than once a year and ideally less) in order to do something the kids could not otherwise experience very easily, is ok. For example for our honeymoon we went to the Masai Mara and it was a bit of a defining experience seeing all the wildlife in their own habitat- something we absolutely want to show the kids when they’re older. But flying “frivolously” for weekends in Europe, “just because we can” are a no-no now for him and I respect that.

He also needs to visit an elderly family member in the new year and has reluctantly agreed that flying is the only practical option.

We all need to cut down. A good start would be for the government to provide information about what everything costs in terms of carbo, even down to posting on mumsnet. Data centres are high carbon users so the digital world also needs to be accounted. Then we can work out what we use and each family can make a plan on how to cut down by 30% say.

Wow. Heads in the sand here people. You realise in the not too distant future this won't actually be an option anyway right?

I’m 7 years into not flying and really don’t miss it. So much beautiful landscape close to home. We do long drives and sometimes trains to go further afield.

I am a big fan of the idea of taxing incrementally - so those who take one flight a year get ta Ed as now but tax increases for each flight after that and quite sharply so it would discourage regular flyers and if they still fly would raise substantial tax for projects to offset.

Ps I personally think as a family which otherwise watches their carbon emissions very carefully (we have solar panels and an electric car for example) a foreign family holiday once every year or two is ok. Business travellers who fly 50 times a year have a lot to answer for though I imagine the pandemic might change things (permanently) in that respect

I really hope in time that the cost of rail travel comes down. For example when we went to Switzerland by train it was all very civilised and pleasant and took less than a day but the truth of the matter is not many people are going to do that when it costs 3 times the cost of Easyjet

@Frazzled2207

Ps I personally think as a family which otherwise watches their carbon emissions very carefully (we have solar panels and an electric car for example) a foreign family holiday once every year or two is ok. Business travellers who fly 50 times a year have a lot to answer for though I imagine the pandemic might change things (permanently) in that respect

I really hope in time that the cost of rail travel comes down. For example when we went to Switzerland by train it was all very civilised and pleasant and took less than a day but the truth of the matter is not many people are going to do that when it costs 3 times the cost of Easyjet

I agree. We've travelled by Eurostar to the south of France and it was extortionate compared with budget airlines.

Sorry no.

I love travel too much.