Flying bad for the environment so stop?

[DonQuichote1235]

Hi all,

I’m not sure if this is a thing in the US, but in Europe it is…the subject of flying and its impact on climate change. For example, a lot of Swedes do not fly anymore because of this. They take the train instead.

Do you think we shouldn’t fly anymore because of the CO2 output and it’s impact on the environment?

How would you respond to someone who accuses you of (gravely) polluting the environment because you took the plane to an holiday destination instead of the train? That you are complicit in creating a dangerous environment for poor countries like Bangladesh for example (e.g. flooding etc.)

Greeting Don

 

[HopkinsReb]

Do you think we shouldn’t fly anymore because of the CO2 output and it’s impact on the environment?

Depends on how far you’re going. I don’t really want to take a boat for a transatlantic trip. And the trains in the US are so dysfunctional, I’m not taking them for a long land trip, either.

How would you respond to someone who accuses you of (gravely) polluting the environment because you took the plane to an holiday destination instead of the train?

I’ll tell them to shove off.

That you are complicit in creating a dangerous environment for poor countries like Bangladesh for example (e.g. flooding etc.)

The domestic policies of Bangladesh have much more to do with their issues than my flying does.

 

[Fauken]

How would you respond to someone who accuses you of (gravely) polluting the environment because you took the plane to an holiday destination instead of the train? That you are complicit in creating a dangerous environment for poor countries like Bangladesh for example (e.g. flooding etc.)

So far as I know, there is no train that could take me to the holiday destinations I have planned. It’s either I take a flight that’ll last for 1-3 hours along with dozens of other people, or we all get in our cars and each drive for 11-13 hours. The former sounds better than the latter.

 

[blackforest]

The need for travel will never go away for a lot of people. Planes do emit tremendous amounts of carbon, more so than cars IIRC, so it would be ideal to develop a better and more efficient train system in the U.S.

Although we’re called to play a part in our individual lives to reduce our carbon footprint, I don’t think it’s helpful, polite, or even charitable to get on other people’s personal cases. Moral policing of any kind, including eco-policing, should be avoided. Has anybody actually done this to you?

 

[UpUpAndAway]

Do you think we shouldn’t fly anymore because of the CO2 output and it’s impact on the environment?

I think it depends upon the circumstances. I could not visit my family if I didn’t fly. Traveling that distance via surface methods is expensive and takes too long. It would eat up all my holiday time just to get there and back. On the other hand, I can’t simply not visit them. So for those trips, I fly.

That said, I think reducing air travel is a good thing but people should have the option in order to get to far-flung destinations and/or if time is limited (and for most people, it is). I wouldn’t tell people never to go on vacation in places they’d have to fly to get to.

I haven’t flown for a pure holiday (meaning one that doesn’t involve visiting family) in over 30 years. We either take the train or we drive. But it’s not for me to tell others where they should or shouldn’t go on vacation nor how they should or shouldn’t get there.

How would you respond to someone who accuses you of (gravely) polluting the environment because you took the plane to an holiday destination instead of the train? That you are complicit in creating a dangerous environment for poor countries like Bangladesh for example (e.g. flooding etc.)

I’m not sure I’d be able to respond to anyone who said this to me, shocked as I would be by their unmitigated gall. A person who would accuse me of this obviously wouldn’t be someone who knew anything about my vacationing habits and thus would have no right to accuse me of this or demand a response from me on the subject.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Swedes have the option of a good train system for travel in their country and in other neighboring countries as well. Most Americans don’t. The option for us is to drive. Car emissions aren’t great for the environment either.

We need to live our lives. If we need to get somewhere then we do what we need to do. I don’t fly much lately compared to previous decades, but that’s mostly because flying has become very expensive and the security procedures add hours to the trip. Still, if one is going beyond a day’s drive distance, or across an ocean, it’s the only practical option.

If someone accused me of gravely polluting the environment etc. I’d probably laugh in their face, walk away and stop speaking to them. I do not have time for such nonsensical accusations, nor do I care, nor can I imagine why any other grown adult would care.