Air travel makes a growing contribution to climate change, currently accounting for 6.3 per cent of UK total CO2 emissions, and can have serious impacts on local air quality. Forecasts suggest that emissions from flying could make up between 10 and 16 per cent of the UK's contribution to climate change by 2020, if no action is taken to lessen the environmental impacts. Consider the need for a flight and the alternatives to taking the plane.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Greenertravel/DG_064429
According airport watch
Government figures show that in 2005 aviation accounted for 13% of total UK climate change damage. That is an understatement because it is based on departing flights only: if the calculation is based on return flights by UK citizens in 2007 the figure would be nearer 20%. The figure for CO2 alone is 6.3%, but this is multiplied by 2 to take radiative forcing into account.
http://airportwatch.org.uk/news/detail.php?art_id=1478
Either way that is not a small amount particularly as much of the travel is not necessary. The plane journeys taken by people produce an amount of co2 equivalent to from 20% to 70% of the total co2 produced by our road and rail transport system by my rough calculations from the above figures.. It seems me that as we have to cut our emissions by nearly 10% a year to stop severe climate change, reducing and probably restricting air travel imo is the simplest, cheapest and one of least uncomfortable ways to start to hit that target.
Also as posts earlier have pointed out we already have the technology to have a carbon free transport system , though not the leadership to encourage that switch yet. There seems no prospect in sight of significantly reducing air co2 emissions other than not flying. Another big problem with air travel I think that I have not seen addressed is that if all our oil and gas is used up over the next 30 years or so and we steadily make a world ban on energy production from coal as James Hansen strongly suggests http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/06/dr-james-hansen.html we by that alone could possibly avoid runaway climate change. But the more of that remaining oil that is burnt by aircraft rather than road transport(even suvs) or for energy supply the slimmer that chance is because the co2 produced by aircraft is much more damaging.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that greenhouse gas pollution from flying aircraft may be up to four times more damaging to the environment than the same levels of pollution emitted at ground level
I also think that it is a myth that travel broadens the mind. It is not possible in my view to gain much insight into a country's culture and mindset without living there for a reasonable amount of time , a year or 2, I would guess and even then you probably have to have a tolerant and open mind to start with. I do not have to travel to Africa to appreciate that it has severe problems of poverty and I very much doubt that going there for a few weeks would give me a grasp of why that is. Also If I travel by air to say India I am very likely going to do my small bit to making their country uninhabitable in the relatively near future as well as creating a real danger to the security and health of my own children and grandchild.
If we think that long distance travel is a right for everyone then we have to support cheap high speed rail with rationed long haul air flight
I think we should also support ads to start to convince people of the dagers to the environment caused by flying. The government have done it with seat belts and smoking and it would eventually as those campaigns did lead to severe legal restrictions on air flight.
Examples of train versus plane according to eurostar.
It's not an exact science, and I'm certainly no expert, but Eurostar has done its homework and commissioned independent research to assess the CO2 per passenger produced by a London-Paris Eurostar journey versus that emitted by a passenger on a London-Paris flight. The research looked at actual Eurostar passenger loadings, actual Eurostar power consumption, the way Eurostar's electricity is generated, actual aircraft loadings, actual aircraft fuel consumption, and so on. The conclusion was remarkable: Taking the train to Paris instead of flying cuts CO2 emissions per passenger not just by 10% or 20% or even 50%, but by a staggering 90%...
Slow travel information website can be found at : http://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm
With thanks to Rob from Greens discussion list
Posted by Miriam Kennet 2008 December- can I please invite anyone to send in information on this so that we can decide on the best strategy.
