So, should we boycott air travel?

Posted by Ann Pettifor on 05th Feb 2008 at 02:34pm

Can't say there was a groundswell of support from posters to the idea of cutting up credit cards....but then the posters to this blog do constitute a small elite group!

Am waiting for further feedback from supporters on this one: but if we do go with Mark's idea about boycotting flights....in particular budget airlines, is this really something that everyone could do? I mean how many people travel by air? Did Mark suggest that only 5% of the population get to fly? If that's the case....and do want to check that number....then its not going to be a mass action is it? Impact wise it would be big...but participation-wise?

What do others think?

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Comments

Potential for mass action to boycott flying

Submitted by helenk on Thu, 07/02/2008 - 13:29.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority in a paper published in January 2008, the government estimates that 45% of UK adults had taken at least one flight in 2006 for leisure. That is 22 million people, and a third of them had flown three or more times in the year. That seems like a substantial audience to aim for. Could we get 5%, or 1 million, of them to boycott flying?
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Iconic action: flights

Submitted by childof2050 on Wed, 06/02/2008 - 08:45.
I go for targetting air flights as an iconic action, but suggest aiming to make flying as socially unacceptable as allowing your pooch to poop on the streets - something that was widely accepted only a few years ago and is now a no no. I agree with flights as the target because there is a widely appreciated direct link between flights, carbon emissions and climate change - one leads to the other as sure as dawn leads to dusk. I suggest that we encourage supporters to petition those in their congregations to sign up to a no flights pledge along the lines: I am comcerned about the impact of climate change, particularly on the poorest and the next generation, I am now aware that it is inappropriate to fly for pleasure and I commit myself not to do so for the next year. Regarding the 5% who fly - I had a memory that the 5% refers to the world population and that it will be a very significantly larger % who do fly in Britain. Hence the action has potential to make a real difference. child of 2050
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