Woody’s recent blog on flying drew more views than any other piece of ours in years. This suggests that those who care about the climate but have places to go are wondering what to do.
Internally at The Climate Center, we talk frequently about flying and how to treat it with integrity. You may have noticed that we offer trips to Bhutan with carbon offsets. We advertise other trips abroad organized by an honored Business for Clean Energy member.
But we also exhort people to lighten their carbon footprints. As a transportation mode, flying is almost always the least climate-friendly way to go and the numbers are getting worse.
As long as flying is inexpensive and accessible, almost everyone who can afford it will continue to fly, even those who are hyper-aware of the climate consequences.
So what are we to do?
Those who travel can offset their carbon through an array of worthy options. The Center offers carbon offsets that allow you to minimize your impact by donating to us to help fund the work we are doing. Money from offsets and other support helps us advocate for a price on carbon.
Only when the cost of flying reflects its true cost to the planet will people pause before booking a flight.
