This Deep Dialogue will help you sort through the complicated scientific and personal issues raised by air travel. If you’ve ever felt conflicted about flying due to its heat impact, you are not alone! Most of us know that air travel is bad for the climate: between airplanes’ CO2 emissions and other heating effects caused by pollution at high altitudes, air travel accounts for upwards of 5-6% of planetary heating. More harmful than driving, flying is the fastest way, hour for hour, to heat the planet. And air travel has major equity implications. For example in the US, 68 percent of all flights are taken by the 12 percent of the population who fly six or more times per year. But many of us have also reached our “golden years” with culturally-induced expectations of flying to visit children, grandchildren, friends — and bucket list destinations!
What to do about this inconvenient truth? First, we need to talk about it openly and honestly, without shaming, which is what this Deep Dialogue accomplishes. The presenters are:
- Dan Castrigano, Organizer at Flight Free USA. Dan will discuss the climate impact of air travel and how we can mitigate some of those harms.
- Professor Marianne Krasny, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell, and author of In This Together: Connecting with your Community to Combat the Climate Crisis. Marianne will talk about how our own ordinary acts can influence and inspire collective and widespread change.
Presentations are followed by a lively Q and A, and discussion.
The video for the presentation is here. The presentation slides are here.