End this cheap flight madness!

In a century from now people will reflect and realise that the cheap flights we now enjoy were economic madness. The newspapers have been raving recently about the favourable exchange rate and the delights of Christmas shopping in New York thereby ignoring the warnings about global warming and air travel. It’s still the fastest growing mode of transport, with the Government predicting the annual number of passengers using British airports will double to 400 million in 14 years. We know this is unsustainable, but we can’t resist cashing in on cheap flights.

Paying an offset firm to fund the cutting of carbon dioxide elsewhere - by planting trees, for example - has become an increasingly popular way for jet-setters to relieve their environmental guilt. Huge numbers of Britons have offset one or more flights last year despite recent research suggesting that planting trees in northern climes may trap heat and thereby increase global warming.

However, the idea that we can plant our way out of climate change is stupid. Check out this site [link]:

Cheatneutral is about offsetting infidelity. We’re the only people doing it, and Cheatneutral is a joke.

Carbon offsetting is about paying for the right to carry on emitting carbon. The Carbon offset industry sold £60 million of offsets last year, and is rapidly growing. Carbon offsetting is also a joke.

Consider the huge number of trees required to offset the UK’s carbon emissions, any beneficial impact on the climate would take decades to materialise. Other offsetting schemes, such as buying energy-efficient light bulbs and stoves for the developing world, may be better. But when considering this logically you realise that there is an underlying problem with the concept itself - rather than seeking ingenious ways to offset pollution, we should be trying to produce less of it in the first place!

What you can do

Watch this video:

Newsnight’s ‘Ethical Man’ interviews Joss and goes with Plane Stupid to visit the head of BAA with a copy of the Tyndall Centre’s paper, ‘Growth scenarios for EU & UK aviation: contradictions with climate policy’. Not surprisingly they didn’t want to read it.

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It isn’t pollution that’s harming the environment. It’s the impurities in our air and water that are doing it.

Quayle, Dan

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