Is it so wrong to fly?

It really is a question of doing what you can, seems to me. Of course people with family on the other side of the world should be able to fly to see each other - they're not going to be doing it every week, after all! On the other hand, a lot of short-haul flights both within the UK and to the rest of Europe could be replaced by train or even bus journeys. (It's easier for me, as I'm scared of flying!) It takes a long time to get to France or Belgium by Eurostar from here in the NE of Scotland, as it's another day to get to London, but it's just part of our holiday.

As for veganism, it seems to me that that must use a lot of plastic, if you can't wear wool or leather. Grazing sheep can use a lot of land which is unsuitable for other uses, and as has been mentioned, grazing animals fertilise the ground, and even more beneficially if they organically reared. The massive intensive farms where animals are kept indoors (like battery hens) are much more of a problem, and one which we could help to tackle by being prepared to eat less meat but pay for good quality meat less often.

Why is it incongruous to be flying to Australia of all places Alexa?
Flights are going to and fro all the time.
Many places are far away from any fires.
And if they are nearer the fires, perhaps grandparents can help with childcare and day to day routine while parents get on with other tasks, even take children away for the rest of the school holidays.

I read yesterday that the UK hopes to be introducing flights on electric planes very soon. Obviously the electricity has to come from somewhere and it’s going to be very small-scale to begin with, but then what idea doesn’t start from small beginnings?

My son lives in the US so we will certainly still be flying to see him and his family there. We mostly drive to see our son in London but it’s probably more expensive than flying. It takes a total of three days driving, several nights in various hotels and lots of eating out. We reckon a week’s trip costs us £1000 each time. As he lives just four miles from Heathrow, it’s very tempting to get cheap flights and stay for just one or two nights.

As we live in a rural area, we have no choice but to get in the car to go anywhere. There are no buses except for one on a Thursday which returns about 1hr 45minutes later - or you have to wait a week for the next one!

It would be a bit chilly standing at the bus stop for that long in the winter, SueDonim

Our family has planted thousands of trees which should offset our flights to visit them.

I also fly to Australia every 18months approx..to see my son and darling granddaughters, I also fly to Dubai to see my daughter and toddler, going again on wed for few weeks as shes having caesarean on sat....I recycle everything, am vegetarian, dont drive unnecessarily...use minimum plastic..some flights are unavoidable...

Not that I actually enjoy flying, but it takes me from a to b quicker.

Umm, eating less meat won’t actually help the CO2 rating.
Although all animals (including humans) emit CO2 this is part of a “closed carbon” cycle where the amount emitted is more or less the same as the amount previously taken in through eating. Going vegan might be a good thing for all sorts of reasons but it won’t change the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.

The only way that carbon is increased in the atmosphere is through the release of carbon that is bound up in fossil fuel. Incidentally it was in the atmosphere aeons ago before it became fossiled and earths climate was somewhat different.

So that’s the bottom line. To what extent do we personally use fossil fuels. You can offset by planting trees in the short term, but eventually they also will decay and release their carbon into the atmosphere.

Human demand is the thing that powers industry and fossil fuel consumption. The real solution is fewer humans........

I am beginning to wonder if we should cut down a bit on all this ‘climate change’ talk.

I read a few days ago about the large increase in children being prescribed antidepressants as they are so so scared and anxious about possible climate change.

It’s dreadful isn’t it that children are being given drugs to alleviate these fears ?

Yes we all know something has to be done, but it should be possible for parents to reassure their children that the world is not going to end.

I guess the news of the terrible fires in Australia doesn’t help.

I have no intention of giving up flying. MY DC live at opposite ends of the world and even if we didn't travel to see them we'd still go on long haul hols from time to time. We spent a couple of weeks before Christmas in Laos, a very poor country which is reliant on tourism to increase the standard of living. It was much quieter than on previous visits - hotels were offering big discounts and people were very concerned about their livelihoods. Everything has a consequence!

Incidentally, I have never understood why Greta Thingummy has to go everywhere in person at great inconvenience and often vast expense (to others). What is wrong with Skype?

I agree wheniwasyourage if we all tried to do what we could it would make a difference
I can understand people getting stressed about all this. It seems we all try to offset our travel against other things

Ok Pamelaj I'm intrigued now, why do your clients need to take off their clothes

Norfolk, my friend has promised to lend it to me. She and her DH have planted hundreds of trees on their land.
The author’s name make me smile. Isabella Tree.
Have you read it?

sodapop, I’m a beauty therapist?

You just reminded me JenniferEccles of something a friend told me a couple of months ago. Her 12y old grandson is a quiet, reserved, shy boy. He was upset one weekend and became distressed. After gentle coaxing turns out his teacher had said that unless urgent action was taken by everybody, his (the books) grandchildren might not survive the apocalypse that was coming.

Too much burden here on young shoulders. So sad.

*boys not books

I still fly to Europe and SE Asia. I can't see that going to Europe, a 1 hr hop, any other would save anything when I would have to drive, take a train/coach then a ferry, then a train. No I will continue to fly while people are suing private planes.

That was such an irresponsible thing for a teacher to say to children Urmstongran.

I bet your friend’s poor grandson wasn’t the only child to feel anxious and worried after that stupid comment. I would have been tempted to complain to the Head.

Actually I think the parents did JE. As you say, climate change worries are putting an enormous burden on some of our more thoughtful young minds. Mental health issues are on the rise and it’s no wonder.

Very worrying and so unfair. As if children don’t have enough pressures on them these days with all the nastiness and bullying on social media .

I look back on my childhood as being very carefree with lots of freedom and not a care in the world.

Eating meat is far worse than flying. So would be better to give that up first. If someone took the train instead of a flight, and that seat was empty on the aeroplane, then the flight would take less fuel, therefore yes, CO2 would be saved (along with various other emissions). Fuel is loaded according to weight, which of course varies depending on checked luggage and number of passengers. The airline would lose the profit but the train company would gain the profit.

JenniferEccles

'it should be possible for parents to reassure their children that the world is not going to end'

How exactly? The reality is that we're living on a dying planet. We're well past the point of no return. All our efforts will only slow the process. Most people don't even care. No government will make itself unpopular by introducing any effective measures. Instead there will be token gestures - along with the usual denial!

No matter what is happening to the planet children should be in blissful ignorance so they have those few precious years to grow and mature. There is plenty of time for them to understand when they reach their teens. Unfortunately that is not happening, they are burdened with the worries of the world at primary school which causes all sorts of anxieties because they are so young.

We do not want a generation of depressed children who will grow into young adults with a sense of hopelessness, pessimism and doom.

We want educated enthusiastic young people with the knowledge and the will to improve things.

We're well past the point of no return

In which case we might as well all just carry on, pretty much as we are, quietly getting on with life without worrying and scaring our grandchildren about something they, as individuals, are powerless to reverse.

Yes, the message from that would appear to be 'Carry on regardless'

Our government has introduced measures
However, we cannot make other governments follow suit.

Razzy take a look at my post above.

Eating meat doesn’t affect the amount of C02 in the atmosphere.

Flying does.

We usually fly once a year to go on holiday. On two occasions it has been twice a year and some years we just stay in the UK.

Since we have family who live a long haul flight away (who we have only visited 4 times in 48 years of marriage), I am not prepared to give up flying all together but believe I and others should limit how often we fly. I have a friend who took 17 flights abroad on short and long haul holidays breaks and holidays last year. I don't think the environmental issue has even occurred to her.

In fact recent figures relating to 2013 showed that:

"An estimated 70 per cent of all flights in 2013 were taken by just 15 per cent of the population, with 57 per cent of the population taking no flights abroad”.