Climate activists such as Greta Thunberg inspiring people to refuse travelling on planes a new phenomenon dubbed flight shaming has been linked to a slowdown in the growth of air travel that could hurt the industry, according to a new report. <\/p>\n
A survey of 6000 Americans and Europeans by Swiss bank UBS has found one in five are flying less due to concerns about climate change, Reuters reported.<\/p>\n
About 27 per cent of respondents said they would consider reducing future flights for environmental reasons up from 20 per cent in a previous survey in May.<\/p>\n
Commercial flying accounts for about 2 per cent of global carbon emissions and 12 per cent of transport emissions, according to the Air Transport Action Group.<\/p>\n
In a reported handed down this week, UBS predicted climate change concerns could cut the expected growth in passenger numbers by half, which would hit aircraft manufacturers hard.<\/p>\n
With the pace of the climate change debate, we think it is fair to assume that these trends are likely to continue in developed markets, UBS analyst Celine Fornaro said.<\/p>\n
UBS said it expected the number of flights in the European Union to increase by just 1.5 per cent per year half the rate predicted by European jet maker Airbus.<\/p>\n
UBS said it could reduce the number of smaller planes ordered from Airbus and its American rival Boeing by 110 each year, the BBC reports.<\/p>\n
The slowing growth has been attributed to a burgeoning global movement known as flight shaming that pressures people to avoid air travel because of the impact on the environment.<\/p>\n
Sweden has spearheaded the movement, which is known locally as flygskam.<\/p>\n
The countrys current most famous citizen, 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg, recently travelled to New York in a zero-emission boat to take part in climate change protests and speak at the United Nations Climate Action Summit.<\/p>\n
The cross-Atlantic journey took Ms Thunberg two weeks to complete.<\/p>\n
Ms Thunberg has refused to fly on planes since 2015 and encourages others to do the same.<\/p>\n
By stopping flying, you dont only reduce your own carbon footprint but also that sends a signal to other people around you that the climate crisis is a real thing and that helps push a political movement, she told the BBC last month.<\/p>\n
She said she wasnt trying to make anyone feel guilty, adding: I dont fly because of the enormous climate impact of aviation per person.<\/p>\n
Inspired by Ms Thunbergs example, a group of European activists plan to sail to a UN climate conference in Chile in December, rather than fly, to pressure world leaders to find alternatives to fossil-fuelled air travel.<\/p>\n
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'Flight shaming' on the rise after Greta Thunberg surged in popularity - NEWS.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Climate activists such as Greta Thunberg inspiring people to refuse travelling on planes a new phenomenon dubbed flight shaming has been linked to a slowdown in the growth of air travel that could hurt the industry, according to a new report. Continue reading