The Ethics of Long-Distance Flying

[Muffin123]

But I would not use it then, only the accurate term for them

[Muffin123]

39 minutes ago, Iam9man said:

Thanks all for your thoughts.

 

Several of you have indicated, to paraphrase, that you feel it would be wrong to stop long-distance flying in all circumstances. 

 

My (shallow) understanding of the science is that the sort of environmental issues scientists were expecting in the 2050s have actually started happening in the 2020s.

 

So my (hopefully) hypothetical follow-up question would be, if long-distance flying were to be scheduled to be essentially banned (except for emergencies) in say 5 years, would this change your view on long-distance flying today?

I think we would have to agree first what counts as an emergency and what doesn't. We can agree for example that tourism and business traveling is not necessary. But I don't know how other topics such as what I brought up would be dismissed by people, mainly people who, realistically speaking, would not be affected by it. I think that's just my biggest problem there.

 

For example, I do not mind that there is a difference between a refugee and an immigrant in the context who is giving more priority and simpathy, but I do think it's concerning if this could lead to people being forced to stay in "developing" countries just because people from "developed" think their case is not "bad enough". We have good reasons to view our situation both from history and what we are experiencing in the present as hopeless and I think there is the big possibility that based on political power and lack of understanding, this could easily be used to justify anti-immigrant policies 

[daveb]

I'm not sure how I feel about the matter. On the one hand, long distance flying is the only way I can visit places like Europe, New Zealand, etc. It also tends to be the best option for being able to see most of my family members and good friends. I am also not sure if it's more environmentally destructive than other available options, such as automobile travel, at least in my part of the world. On the other hand, I would like more feasible, environmentally friendly, reasonable options for travel. I'm not willing to give up long distance travel entirely. I have experienced what that is like for the past 2+ years, and it feels too isolating to me.

 

I see pros and cons to long distance air travel (or long distance travel of any kind). And I'm wary about blanket prohibitions.

[Autumn ace]

I think it would be almost impossible to give up long distance air travel. Whether people travel for work (which hopefully isn’t as necessarily post covid and with souped up online setups) or people traveling to see family, I think it’s acceptable because it’s hard to avoid. 
But, if it’s unnecessary, like a celebrity traveling just for specific food or shopping (or something short term like that), it’s absolutely not okay. 
Although, while I think air travel should be more climate efficient, I think a lot of long distance air travel is better than absolutely unnecessary short term celebrity flights. If you can drive somewhere in an hour or less, do that instead of fly. ESPECIALLY if you have access to a driver if you don’t want to drive yourself.  

 

[coolshades]

I like long-distance air travel because it's the only way I can truly experience other cultures.  Yes, there are many cultures in my country, but going to a completely different country where you are immersed in a culture different from yours is very different to me.  The first time I went overseas, I came back realizing that my country was not so much more wonderful than other countries, as I had been led to believe by my family.  I have an appreciation for other nations and ways of life that I wouldn't have had just by reading the internet or watching a video.

[nanogretchen4]

I think long distance air travel is more defensible than short or medium distance air travel, since air travel produces more than 300 times the greenhouse gases that would be produced by road trips covering the same distance. Long distance flights usually cross a large body of water and therefore could not be replaced by a road trip. Also, taking a long distance flight to move to another country or study there for at least a year is more defensible than flying for a short vacation. It's ridiculous for a business to make employees commute between countries that are not adjacent to each other. The business should just have employees stationed in each country and let them interact virtually.