Climate friendly travel choices: In conversation with the Director of Flight Free UK - Vol 6 Sneak Peek
Could taking a year off flying help shift social norms around the way we travel?
Article by: Eveline Vouillemin
Photography by: Eveline Vouillemin
In a world grappling with the urgent need for environmental action, many individuals are re-evaluating their travel habits and embracing climate-responsible choices.
As awareness of the impact of aviation emissions on our planet increases, stopping flying - or at least reducing the amount you fly - is something we should all consider.
Many of us don't realise how carbon-intensive flying is. Did you know that flying economy from London to Paris generates 27 times the CO2 emissions of making the same journey by Eurostar?
In addition, only around 10% of the world's population has ever been on a plane and 1% of people cause 50% of global aviation emissions, but the consequences of rising emissions are felt by everyone all over the world. So, choosing to stay grounded is not only a positive choice for the climate, but also for each other.
Eveline Vouillemin spoke to Anna Hughes, Director of Flight Free UK, about the flight free movement and how taking a year off flying can help shift the social norms around the way we travel.
When did you first become conscious of the flight-free travel movement and what inspired you to start Flight Free UK?
The idea for Flight Free UK started in late 2018, when I heard an interview on the radio with Maja Rosen, who was campaigning in her native Sweden for people to take a year off flying, in order to inspire mass behaviour change away from taking flights.
As someone who has worked in behaviour change for more than 10 years, and hasn't flown in that time either, it made perfect sense to me, so I started Flight Free UK. It follows the same model: people pledge to take a year off flying to reduce emissions and inspire a social shift in the way we travel.
How does the Flight Free pledge work, and what impact do you hope it will have on individuals and the transport industry?
People sign up for a flight-free year, but there's also an option to make a custom pledge if work or family commitments don't allow you to be completely flight free. Or you can make a stronger pledge, like to be flight free for life!
We hope the pledge will have an immediate impact on emissions through people not taking flights, but also have a wider effect on the transport industry by increasing demand for low-carbon transport.
What are some of the key benefits, both environmentally and personally, of committing to flight-free travel?
The main benefit of committing to flight-free travel is first and foremost the emissions saving. Depending on how much you fly, and where to, you could save the equivalent CO2 of a year's worth of driving by taking the pledge.
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