We're all going on a Summer Holiday
I imagine many of us are looking forward to our summer holidays, with dreams of sunny beaches puitting memories of the long winter behind us. With that in mind I went to the Adventure Travel exhibition in London. So many wonderful and exciting adventures to choose from, all claiming to be sustainable… except for the flights to get there!
With Stansted Airport on our doorstep, flying is usually by far the cheapest, quickest and most convenient option, not least because aviation fuel is tax free. So how can we square a concern for the environment with our holiday plans?
Solutions should focus on the greatest polluters. Private jets should be taxed out of existence. They only serve the egos of their owners. After that, just 1% of the world’s population cause 50% of the emissions. If you can afford to be a frequent flyer, flying half a dozen or more times a year, then you can afford to clean up your pollution – and more!
A frequent flyer level across Europe would raise £54 billion without any cost to the vast majority of people. Everyone would be allowed a dash to the sunshine with their children free of tax, but a progressive tax would be charged to frequent flyers. First class travellers should feel comfortable about paying extra too!
Wildfires continue to rage in Los Angeles, wrecking lives and causing hundreds of billions of dollars of damage, so it is high time the ‘polluter pays’ principle was applied, starting with the biggest polluters.
As a member of the ‘time rich’ generation I was delighted to discover a ferry route from Holland to Norway, for a holiday I am dreaming of there. I discovered railway journeys I didn’t know existed. Low carbon lifestyles can be exciting and full of surprises. A Victorian sense of travel and adventure is surely going to be more fulfilling than an airport security queue!