In an earlier post I have argued that the airlines industry should take a haircut (jargon for be reduced in size). It surprises me that this point of view is receiving little attention in the mainstream media.
Easyjet has received a £600m Bank of England loan, Virgin Atlantic has, so far, been refuses half a billion, and yesterday British Airways announced swingeing cuts in its operations at Gatwick (for details see here)
I understand the air travel from Gatwick is overwhelmingly for leisure purposes.
Air travel is a major contribution to the factors that generate the climate crisis, and the “hypermobility” it permits has been instrumental in the rapid transition of the coronavirus from China to the rest of the world.
Surely we can no longer justify endangering
both the future of our planet and the peoples on it just to facilitate the
desires of the those of us in the more affluent parts of the world for sunshine, exotic experiences and sex.
The need
for business travel is also rapidly diminishing as modern methods of distance
communications such as Skype and zoom develop.
The axiom made famous by the Former White House Chief of Staff and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel : "Never let a good crisis go to waste" should surely be exploited by the Green lobby, yet they (we) green seem to be missing out on this opportunity.
All the talk is on how the airlines can be kept in business until "normal demand is resumed."
Of course we must sympathise with potentially redundant airline staff, from highly paid pilots to underpaid cleaners. However, if we accept that the size of the aviation industry should rightly shrink I’m sure those currently
dependent on it will be able to negotiate better compensation from their employers and their governments than , say, the UK’s miners
managed when their industry no longer met contemporary needs
Perhaps the green lobby have realised that 'Hey, you know this Hell you're living though? This is how it should have been all along and must be for ever more!' isn't the best strategy for getting people on board.
ReplyDeleteBut then that would require some self-awareness, something they have not conspicuously displayed up to now.
I recall reading that during this crisis carbon dioxide emissions have fallen by 6%. 6%! And all it took was the complete freeze of the economy, massive and still-ballooning debt that is going to have to be paid off by generations to come, a global population trapped in their homes, and the complete destruction of normal life!
If that's what it takes to reduce emissions by 6%, what horrors could possibly get us down to 0% by any year, let alone 2025 or whenever the eco-loons keep pushing?
I think this is going to be the death of the green lobby unless they come up with some more sensible demands than 'we must reduce carbon emissions to zero'. Because now people know what is involved in reducing carbon emissions by even a fraction, they're going to realise that meeting that target would mean living as if we were under threat from Coronavirus constantly, and after putting up with that for a few months, possibly years, they're not going to want to put up with it a moment longer than they absolutely have to.
Green is dead.
It seems to me that the airline sector hasn't even been trying to reduce ist CO2 emissions - any financial assistance should surely be based on the airline having a viable plan for doing so within a certain time limit and the bailout cash not all doled out in one chunk - some leverage over airline owners is needed.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to 'the old ways' will only bring the problem back. Changes have to be made. One is the rapid development of electric plane structure and the facilities involved to keep them flying.New techniques,new jobs. Sailing ships for passengers(with electric power) Zeppelins (modern versions) could be developed. Surely the human race can innovate AND save the Planet ,not to mention itself.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Nigel, that's the way to go, as we are already doing with renewable energy.
DeleteWe do have to look very carefully, though, at the contribution "hypermobilty" has played in the spread of coronavirus. Ir is significant that the countries with the high numbers of deaths are, so far, in the rich, developed, world- ie where the people who can afford to fly live. Coronavirus won't be the last plague for which there is no antidote. However "clean" our travel becomes, we probably need to limit the amount we do in order protect ourselves from our propensity to infect ourselves with nasty diseases.
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