Imagine carbon consumption as a diet. And you, I am afraid, are “carbon obese”.
What would a carbon dietitian advise?
If you go to see a real life dietitian, for real life weight obesity, they are very likely to advise some of the following:
Change the food you eat for healthier options. Replace that cream cake, with an apple for example.
Cut down on snacks. The amount of unnecessary snacks, like the ones that you eat out of habit rather than out of hunger.
Reduce portion size. Two hot dogs, instead of four.
Overall they are likely to suggest you make a series of changes that change your daily habits so that you are constantly thinking about your diet and challenging your old lifestlye. And it would be an evidence based approach. Because dietitians are medical professionals.
This is notably not the approach of people who advocate giving up flying to tackle climate change.
Giving up flying is fine and will help, but as flying amounts to about 1.7% of global emmissions, it is not evidence-based to prioritise giving up flying.
However, the main issue with the focus on flying, is that it is not a daily occurence for most. it does not challenge daily habits.
Domestic flying in the US may be more prevelant than elsewhere in the world, in part due to the poor train networks. But the population of the world that have EVER flown could be around 6%. Therefore, giving up flying makes NO DIFFERENCE to 94% of the global population. And even in the western middle classes who tend to discuss climate change more than others, flying is usually reserved for one or two annual holidays.
So are we challenging our carbon consumptive behaviour by giving up flying, or is this an “easy” conscience-appeasing victory to allow us to carry out the rest of our lives as normal, without challenging our more fundamental activities, like for example driving a car?
And why appeal to 6% of the population to tackle <2% of emmissions?
What would a dietitian say?
Giving up flying for most, while making no other lifestlye changes, would be like eating whatever you want all year, except for fasting on Christmas and your birthday.
What qualified dietitian would recommend that?