5. Flying less

Why?

Aviation contributes to global warming by emissions of carbon dioxide and the creation of contrails in the upper atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and contrails trap outgoing heat. At the moment there is no viable alternative to kerosene as aviation fuel.

How?

• Reduce the number of times per year you fly, especially for short haul flights
• Examine whether short haul journeys within the UK and continental Europe can be made by rail. Check out: https://www.thetrainline.com/en-us
• One way to make your flight carbon neutral is to calculate the carbon emissions of your flight and offset them by paying into an offsetting scheme
• However, use a gold standard scheme to offset the carbon emissions from your flights. Choose your scheme very carefully and read this article first: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/aug/02/offsetting-carbon-emissions-how-to-travel-options