Flyer's guilt
The need to travel via airplane is almost unavoidable. The mode of transport is intertwined with our lives, especially in Australia. Being such a large country, everyone will face a time (although we've being doing more facetimes) when they need to fly, whether it be for business or pleasure.
For me personally, I find myself needing to fly to visit family. As much as I would love to try taking the train, bus and ferry the cost would be more than triple a plane ticket and the trip would take days (something that isn't viable for a student).
This leaves me with two options;
- to fly in order to visit my family or;
- to stay put!
One is an indulgence and a detriment to our environment. The other would leave me disconnected from my home and family which could be disastrous for my health and wellbeing. When I choose to go I can't help but feel guilty and indulgent but when I choose to stay I can often feel trapped. What I have been slowly learning and trying to tell myself (or perhaps trying to justify my actions) is that flying is an intertwined component of modern life and even in the face of a pandemic, it's not going anywhere. Being environmentally conscious doesn't mean I have to deny myself essential services of modern life, but it does mean I have to be an active part of the push to improve areas of life that cause significant environmental destruction. So, I've been asking myself, how can I do this?
Offsetting is key
There is a lot of debate around the sustainability and merit to carbon and greenhouse gas offsetting. So firstly, what is it? Carbon offsetting is simply taking the calculated emissions from a service such as flying, driving or eating a steak and paying for ways to extract that amount of emissions from the atmosphere; this is most commonly done through tree plantations and native revegetation. You may be thinking, "isn't this just a license to live without a care in the world?" Won't we run out of ways to offset our continued emissions? These schools of thought certainly have merit and if the world were to offset every area of emissions it would probably have to start cutting down more trees in order to keep planting them. In this sense, the model is flawed.
However, the problem with this assumption is that it was never suggested that offsetting was a complete solution to mitigating the effects of our changing climate. Instead, I view it as more of an integrated solution. The switch to renewables and hybrid technology is growing as well as the transition to greener cities. A world with less emissions will not require emission offsets as extensively. Despite this, there are areas that will not see this change for some time. Aerial transport is one of them. In this circumstance, we have two choices; to stop flying, or continue to do so with the intent to support carbon and emission offsets and transitions to new greener technologies. This has to be the view towards offset programs. They are only justified and acceptable when there isn't an alternative more sustainable option. However, I don't believe this means I should just fly hoping it will be offset.
Without any tax on carbon emissions or offset program costs included in the price of a ticket, consumers need to take the matter into their own hands. For me, this used to be as simple as paying one or two dollars to the accredited carbon offsets that airlines offer. However, the small cost of a couple of dollars always shocked me and made me suspicious. How could such a small fee offset the emissions of a two hour flight? How many trees can a dollar really plant? This is where the world is sneaky. The price that you pay for the offset will plant a tree. However, the carbon offset that you buy is measured by the estimated carbon capture of that tree during its lifespan which is then divided by your contribution to the total emissions as one of many passengers on a flight. This doesn't discount the offset and the impact that each one of us can have, however if you want to take it a step further there are plenty of options out there.
Greenfleet
Greenfleet is an accredited carbon offset company that plants biodiverse native trees throughout Australia and New Zealand. Individuals and businesses can choose to pay for offsets for different tasks such as driving, flying and purchasing certain products. They have accurate and comprehensive estimates for emissions and allow you to pay whatever you want. Simply adding a purchase for reforestation with Greenfleet is one way I find to balance a need to travel with practical solutions and reduce the guilt I feel when I fly.
What else?
Whilst carbon offsetting is one option I follow up, I also try to ditch the plastic cups whilst on board a flight as well as the individual packaging instead trying to tag this out for bottled water I bring. Additionally, if I have a connecting flight, I always try to make the most of it. If I have to stop over in another city, I try to arrange the flight to spend some time there visiting family or touristing around. This not only saves me money, but also a future trip and a future flight.