UK travellers don’t care about the environment
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My suspicions have been confirmed by a recent poll where more than two thirds of UK holidaymaker’s don’t consider the effect that their Summer holiday flight will have on the environment. Travellers are more concerned about disappointing acommodation or losing their bags than any pollution caused by their flight. Only 4% of holidaymakers will take a holiday in the UK.
Aircraft streams from back garden by Haversack
I was surprised to read the comments by a leading travel journalist Jeremy Skidmore, where he appears to be encouraging everyone to dismiss any concerns about the environmental impact of their Summer holiday flights. I agree with his comments that the UK Government deserves condemnation for increasing Air Passenger Duty and not spending the revenue on environmental projects and his resentment at world jetting popstars are preaching to “save the Earth”. However I don’t think that justifies us to just dismiss the whole issue.
I don’t know the definitive answer to how much flying affects the environment and contributes to climate change but I don’t think it has no effect at all. I am personally flying less but this is more to do with the general hassle of flying e.g. arriving at the airport 3 hours before departure, wasting 2 days of a one week holiday travelling and an appreciation that’s there’s plenty to do and see in the UK.
[tags]environment, global warming, climate change[/tags]
July 24th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
A Westminster committee has suggested that airlines charge passengers a green tax of up to £40 to help offset the environmental damage caused by their flight:
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1145772007