Air Travel: A Unilateral Response to Global Warming?

Jackie laughlin

I'm prompted to start this discussion here by the failure of a thread under "Green" to attract attention.

Assuming one accepts that global warming is happening, that it is the result of human activity and that air travel is a major contributor, should Ireland take any action to reduce air travel?

It seems to me that in a country of this size, with the technology available and with energy efficient alternatives available, we could make a small start by stopping internal flights and then by beginning to reduce radically air travel to Britain.

In the medium term (because the time for effective action is short) there is the question of air travel for multiple holidays and to make use of holiday homes abroad.

I can't locate the source but I recall reading of a study that concluded that 80% of business travel was unnecessary.

The Green Party's silence is deafening but I can't be too hard on them as it strikes me as electoral suicide to take global warming seriously.

Nuttzz

Air travel according to the UKs Stern report causes 2% of global emissions, i dont see how aer aranns flights to sligo are going to cause more damage than the 50 passengers on that flight driving for 3 hours in 50 cars.

Without China, India and the US on board it wouldnt make a lick of difference.

We arent so bad in this country, most cars here have 1 to 2 litre engines, compare that to the US and Oz with the 3 and 4 litre engines, I was in the states recently and i saw one car ad that bragged about it achieving 28mpg on the interstate. I, for example, get about 45mpg on a motorway.

The green party have been silent because what you propose isnt viable without the big existing and big developing economies on board

DadaKopf

Politicians talk about SUVs and cheap flights because they're sexy. But sexy for a reason. It's easier to explain to people how our lifestyles are causing global warming by attaching the message to strong symbols than the actual reality of what contributes to most of global warming.

Most global warming is caused by industry, power generation and motor vehicles. More specifically heavy industry such as concrete and steel production, oil extraction and and other bits and bobs. But what we buy in the shops is created out of this stuff, so it all adds up.

Also, if we're serious about helping poor countries develop, we have to reduce our slice of the cake to give them the space to catch up. By then, hopefully we'll have figured out a way to get out of this mess. But it's very unlikely at this point.

And all this depends on concerted, global, multilateral action.

oscarBravo

Apart from a tangential reference to the Green Party, this isn't a Politics thread, and moving topics from more relevant boards because you're not happy with the traffic they're receiving there is a no-no.

Anyone who wants to continue this discussion has now had their attention drawn to the appropriate thread, and can do so there.