Climate Change Activists Call for Flight Ban

Passengers walk past Air Canada and WestJet planes at Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alta., on Aug. 31, 2022. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

Climate change campaigners are demanding the population cut air travel to four times in a lifetime.

A Consumer Science and Analytics Institute (CSA) survey of the French population revealed 41 percent of citizens would like to impose this flight limit.

Support for a travel limit was higher among youth, with 59 percent of people aged 18 to 24 year in favour of cutting flights to four times a lifetime due to climate change.

The survey involved a poll of 1,010 people in the French community aged over 18, Fox News reported.

“This poll actually shows the younger you are, the more you believe this,” climate depot Marc Morano said.

Out of poll respondents, 64 percent suggested they would consider reducing air travel in the future to “combat climate change”.

In May, France implemented a ban on short domestic flights. Plane flights covering cities that could be reached within 2.5 hours by train are covered under the law.

Transport Minister Clement Beaune said at the time, “this is an essential step and a strong symbol in the policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Germany, Belgium and Austria have also considered measures to cut short haul air travel in recent years.

Passengers walk past Air Canada and WestJet planes at Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alta., on Aug. 31, 2022. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

For example, Belgium introduced a tax on private jets and short-haul flights in 2022.

Meanwhile in Australia, a group of climate activists are also pushing for the population to reduce air travel.

Flight Free Australia spokesperson Helen Hutchinson said “absolutely” when asked by 3AW if flying on an aircraft emits too much CO2.

“As an individual action it’s the worst thing you can do,” she said when asked about flying on a plane.

“I think what we have to look at is alternatives, ”we are actually living in a climate emergency“' right now and every small amount of emissions that we can possibly save we have to do.”

However, the suggestion did not go down with everyone. One global traveller from Victoria commenting on X (formerly Twitter) said, “shocking, they don’t want you to fly.”

“Who is going to get a return train to Queensland two days each way when you can fly in two hours from Melbourne.”

Travel Demand Lifts in 2023

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data reveals travel to and from Australia is on the rise in 2023.

The latest ABS statistics on visitors into Australia shows 625,120 people arrived to Australia from overseas for a short term trip in July 2023.

This is 91.9 percent more than the short term arrivals into the country in July 2022. However, total short term arrivals were 20.9 percent lower than pre-COVID levels, the ABS said.

Australia’s top five international markets for travel were New Zealand, China, and the United States.

Short-term Australian resident departures also rose 39.2 percent in July 2023 to 922,350 people.

Total departures from Australia lifted 54.3 percent in July 2023 to nearly 1.5 million. Meanwhile, total arrivals surged 61.2 percent to more than 1.7 million.

A new release of travel data on overseas arrivals and departures for the month of August is due to be released on Oct. 13.