I've signed up - how about you?

Jennifer Eccles, I’m a Guardian reader. Don’t be so rude and judgemental . You have no idea what my views on this are.
Honestly, gransnet is becoming increasingly unpleasant. We can’t even discuss what small actions we can each take to protect our planet without snide digs, none of which will persuade anyone to take a wider view on anything.

Never flown anywhere.
Couldn’t afford to if I wanted to, either.

JackyB, so sorry to hear. I flew so many times in an emergency when my mum was very poorly and at the time of her final demise - so I feel for you.

And of course, that is totally right. There are times in life when it is possible to re-think, re-assess and make changes if possible. And there are times, when it is just not possible- that is fair enough.

I am a curmudgeon, I have no time for these smug virtue signalling 'sign ups'. Life just isn't that simple. The only people signing for it will be people who have no need or desire to fly anyway.

As this thread has shown, when family live overseas, and for a host of other reasons, some people simply cannot sign up to pledges like this. This doesn't mean that they are less committed to the need to reduce global warming, they are probably doing more by quietly making changes in their lives in other ways - and may well have been doing it for much longer.

That sounds ideal, Jura2 but most of us don’t live near the centres of transport. As it happens, my son lives only four miles from Heathrow and we live about 35mins from our local airport. The quickest way for us to visit him is by air and it works out cheaper.

In fact, we rarely fly down now but the other methods of travel are very expensive. It’s often cheaper to buy a flight than a train ticket and there are only two direct trains a day. We then have to get out of central London to his nearest train station and then get a taxi to his house. It’s a full days travel, too, well in excess of 12 hours, door to door.

We generally drive down now, although the cost of that mounts up, with fuel and meals on the road, tolls and so on, plus the sheer boredom of motorway driving.

Sorry but I flew to the UK at least 5 times this year to visit my dying mother and have since flown at least twice, to her funeral, and then to help with the house clearing..

I am flying to the US next week for the 2nd time this year to look after my DGS whilst his little brother is born. (The first time was to give DS and DiL a break as they have no one out there) In fact, I haven't had a holiday this year yet.

Next year I hope to get to the UK by car (if foreigners will be allowed in by then). Not really sure how I can cut down at the moment.

Of course not janipat- all I am saying is that are the 'red lines' we have decided for ourselves- that is all. Enjoy seeing the GCs.

I am not signing either - and just saying there is no harm is having a good think about our own behaviour and see what we can do, in our own way. That is all.

If we fly to UK - we have to go to Geneva- ccan be done with bus + train, change + train - hours in advance to make sure. Or drive 1.30 hrs, but allow for 2 + parking time (and huge cost) and get to airport - so at least 4 hours. Then arrive at Luton, take bus to go and hire car (huge cost) at least 1-1.30 wasted- then drive to flat or DD1 or 2, or wherever. Or quick bus to TGV- quick change in Paris or overnight- arrive at St Pancras and train home. Either was, it takes all day- and if we book in advance, it is very reasonable. At the moment- we drive- even simpler, because of dog- expensive with Tunnel and overnight each way and we often give lifts to friends.

Oh, I remember the joys of motor rail in France, speeding through the countryside with waiter service. The perfect way to travel. The last time we did it, it was soggy croissants in cellophane from a machine.

One thing I wish we still had in the UK is motorail. We used to be able to put our car on the train in Inverness, spend the night in a sleeper carriage and next morning we’d be in London. It was brilliant.

No

No I am not signing.

Yet another sanctimonious virtue signalling idea .

We have a fly cruise holiday booked for next Summer, which I am already looking forward to.

No doubt Guardian readers will be falling over themselves to sign.

jura2 I fly to Canada once a year to see my son, daughter-in-law and 2 grandchildren. I cannot go for longer than 15 days because I have responsibilities to family here in the UK including a grandson with severe learning difficulties and autism who cannot cope with a longer separation from us. By your rationale I shouldn't go? As I only take the one return flight each year I fail to see how the length of my stay has any impact on the damage my flight does. My flights will be time limited anyway, once my age incurs horrendous insurance premiums I will be forced to stop, even if poor mobility doesn't get me first!

of course Sue - was talking about visits to the USA or even more so, NZ ... surely you wouldn't go for one day ...

Well yes, good public transport is a political choice - that the UK has chosen to privatise and commercialise- with dire effects. I am glad many EU countries have chosen to improve public transport, even in more rural areas- and are now making the decision to re-introduce night trains for inter-European destinations. A choice- quite simply.

Forgot to add, I think those who are interested in modifying their behaviour will already be doing so and those that aren’t interested won’t be persuaded anyway. There can’t be anyone in the UK who isn’t aware of climate change by now.

That’s assuming your relatives want you staying for several weeks! Or that you can afford a hotel or have enough holiday to be able to do that. Quite honestly, if one is planning just the one annual trip a year, it hardly matters whether the stay is for one day or one month, the amount of CO2 will be the same. Several weekend trips a year involving flights is a different matter, naturally.

As for trains, I wish! We have none here nor buses.

Fair enough- but it does not stop others from taking stock, think, assess and make changes if and when possible, surely.

Of course if I had GCs in the USA or NZ- I would fly to go and see them- but I would also stay several weeks. But if I am going to Paris- it is so much easier, and better for the environment, to take the TGV fast train- and quicker too, for sure. Town centre, to town centre. Easy peasy.

Assessing one’s carbon footprint and behaviour isn’t virtue signalling. Virtue signalling is when you then brag about your decision and look down on those who do things differently.

The OP says she wasn’t planning to fly anyway, so in what way is she making a difference?

SuDonim, thank you for explaining what virtue signalling is, thought so but wasn’t sure. I agree completely with your post. Thought the OP just sounded smug. (Not flown anywhere since 2008, much prefer rail and coach travel. Obviously not long-haul though we did get as far as Russia by coach).

lemon, 1000s of flights are taken by those who certainly 'don't need to' - what is wrong with thinking about it, assessing your 'needs' and making changes accordingly.

The idea of flying to the other side of UK, Europe and even more, the world - for a few days, is just nonsense. I know many who come to our region from all over the USA and Japan for just 3 days ... Others still come to the event, but have decided to make it their main holiday of the year and add 2 to 3 weeks of European travel, to said event- using trains whenever possible. Just think - and try and adjust- nought wrong with that surely.

A week after we had made our decision and drawn our red lines- we were invited to a Conference in Madrid for 3 days. So we made it our main holiday- flew to Madrid, then used trains and buses to visit Andalucia and then Malaga then flew back from there.

Several EU countries, including Switzerland- are making a huge effort to bring back long distance night trains- as the most polluting flights are the short ones, as taking off and down is the most polluting part of flights. Flying from Geneva to Zurich, or Milan, or Munich- is just nonsense, and VERY polluting.

It does not have to be NO flights at all- so won't be signing either. But I have had it up to here with any effort made to assess one's carbon footprint and behaviour as in 'virtue signalling'

I don't need to sign up.

Nowhere to go, nobody to go with, and can't afford it anyway.

What SueDonim says ?
So easy to be a goody goody about this, but many people have to travel, so no, I won’t be signing up to it and will fly when I need to.

We still fly long distance as we like wildlife holidays. And the tourist industry is what is saving the orang utans, gorillas, tigers, etc. Without tourists providing income there would be no incentive to save these animals - and big business would have no reason not to burn down the forests.

We don’t do any short haul flights where trains are an alternative.

I gather Emma Thompson has been delivering another speech in London but this time she is saying they are not targeting those who only fly occasionally but those who fly regularly and often - I wonder if she includes herself in that group?

I heard in a tv programme that over 70% of flights are made for business so, I am not sure that the occasional holiday abroad is going to make that much difference.

It’s easy to virtue signal about something you’re not doing anyway. Meanwhile, I’m trying to find a hot air balloon company that will take me to America to visit my grandchildren.