Here's an unpopular view: we're talking way too much about the hashtag#climate impact of that leisure flight you're taking for your Summer vacation next year. 🛫
We just had another disappointing climate action summit (hashtag#COP28), so climate debate is top of mind going into Christmas.
But do me a favour - stop climate shaming friends and family over their leisure flights - focus elsewhere. Let's break this down with some quick math.
👉 All emissions from planes amount to 1.9% of global emissions.
👉 Only 32% of flights are passenger flights (using a US proxy).
👉 12% of global airline travel is business travel.
👉 So, the total emissions of ALL leisure travel amounts to only 0.5% of global emissions. And we're including cargo on those planes to be conservative.
Yet since air travel is the #1 largest polluter of the average consumer in the developed world, it takes up a vastly oversized share of the public discussion on climate change.
So why does this matter? It's good to be a conscious consumer, right?
👉 Absolutely
👉 But we live in a democratic society where politicians focus on the issues that are top of mind to voters.
That means policymakers end up regulating what is top of mind for voters (in this case plane emissions) and under-regulating the real problems.
This is called "availability bias" - air travel is very visible, relatable and in many cases avoidable, so it's the example we all jump to.
However, according to one report, just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions (and none of them are travel / flight companies).
Think about that the next time you discuss climate change with your family and friends.
Discussing your personal footprint is a distraction.
We need to act on large-scale industries and their supply chains.
It's highly unsexy. Super difficult to understand. But it's where the solution is found.
Not in you being a hyperaware consumer that takes your Tesla on the next Summer vacation.
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