Is it time to dump the £40 flight to Slojakitaniova or that €70 jaunt to Krakow? Adam Cathro looks at the damage unleashed by quickie flying trips, and calls for us to consider slower, more civilised options.
Isn’t modern life wonderful? Mobile phones, the internet, MP3 players and – best of all – budget airlines opening up the whole world.
Only 20 years ago, we couldn’t have imagined it. Then a trip abroad might cost a month’s wages, and you were lucky if you got one every other year.
Now a weekend away can be had for the price of a cheap pub meal down your local – and some of us enjoy a city break every month.
Fly! Fly! Fly!
Like I said, modern life is wonderful, right? Wrong. I’m not going to criticise you for flying with budget airlines – I know they’re irresistible.
But while you’re enjoying that £39.99 flight to Prague for a weekend of fun and frolics, have you considered the cost of your holiday – the real cost?
I’m not talking about the £7.50 ham and cheese sandwiches (stale) or the £4.75 bottle of soft drink (flat). I’m talking about the cost to the planet. The planet you’re paying very little to explore.
Real cost
Air travel is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases. The world’s commercial aircraft are producing a staggering 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every single year.
And if we continue to fly at the drop of a hat, it’s just going to get worse.
Big numbers, but what does it all mean? Well, consider this: one person flying from London or Dublin to New York produces about the same amount of carbon dioxide as one household does in a whole year.
And you haven’t even flown home yet.
Next page: Get your thrills slowly
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