The solution to the climate crisis is simple: to significantly reduce our emissions. But we must start doing it now, and we must all pull together.
Flying in an airplane is the most polluting activity we commonly do. To limit global warming to a relatively safe 1.5 degrees Celsius it is estimated that individuals, right now, need to have a yearly budget of 1.6 metric tons of C02 emissions. That's equivalent to a round trip cross country flight, per passenger!
Covid-19 has shown us that rapid change is possible. Air traffic has decreased dramatically because we have had no choice, but we now need to apply this thinking to our response to the climate crisis. There is simply no room for non essential air travel if we are to stay within 1.5 degrees C of warming and have a safe future. A single flight can take up our entire annual individual carbon budget and for many of us, flying is our single largest source of emissions.
Pledge to not fly, as a signal to our communities, leaders and businesses that climate solutions are needed now. Together, we can reduce emissions, change the norm and lay the foundations for strong climate policy. Everyone can participate, even children. For those who might not be able to be flight free for work or family reasons there is an option to pledge not to fly for leisure in 2021, and for those who have already tried a flight free year and discovered that it is entirely possible there is an option to pledge to be flight free for as long as the climate needs. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for to create a livable future.
More information about the campaign, inspiring stories from others who have made the Flight Free pledge, and much more can be found here.