Will you pay more to be a green traveller?
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It seems that my suspicions earlier this year about travellers claiming they wanted to be greener and taking on action of this front are all too true. According to a recent opinion poll only 7% of UK holidaymakers are willing to pay to offset the environmental effects of their trip. Could part of the reason by the doubling of Air Passenger Duty making us feel that we are already paying towards the detrimental effects of our flights? There’s also some mistrust of carbon offset schemes due to the lack of common standards and high admin charges. Or if it simply people paying lip service to concerns about the environment because it’s the fashionable thing to feign concern?
Carbon Cover Up by London Permaculture
So what’s your position on all this? Do you just want to be able to enjoy your holidays without being made to feel guilty and the whole issue is not top of your agenda? Are you taking active steps to reduce the impact of your travel by flying less, using other forms of transport such as trains or ferries and/or paying into carbon offset schemes?
November 10th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
I now take the train from London to Newcastle instead of taking a connection flight from Heathrow to Newcastle when I fly back in from Libya/Morocco.
I admit that there wasn’t a green motive behind this, simply because it was more comfortable and convenient and just as quick. Admittedly, as I don’t pay for the travel, the company pay for the expensive train fares.
November 14th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Well, Kyle’ at least you’re honest. I’m just back from the World Travel Market and travelled down by train from Berwick upon Tweed. My train fare was only £28 return but I did travel at off peak times, went down on Sunday morning and returned this afternoon. I can’t say it was comfortable though. I found the seats pretty cramped.