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How do you reduce your carbon footprint when you travel?

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I am a climate and science/technology reporter. I am interested in the effects of climate change on everyday life and scientific solutions. Born in London, I am a dual citizen of Switzerland and the UK. After studying modern languages and translation, I trained as a journalist and joined swissinfo.ch in 2006. My working languages are English, German, French and Spanish.

Relaxed Covid-19 restrictions and pent-up travel demand appear to be translating into a very busy summer holiday season. But what about the impact of travelling on the environment?

Have the last two years made you reflect in any way about your carbon footprint and travelling? Are you taking the train instead of the plane this summer? How else do you try to minimize your trip’s environmental impact? Let us know your experiences.

From the article Fasten your seatbelt: aviation emissions are about to take off again

Join the conversation!

Contributions must adhere to our guidelines. If you have questions or wish to suggest other ideas for debates, please, get in touch!
wail salim
wail salim
The following contribution has been automatically translated from AR.

There should be a general tendency for ordinary people throughout the world to have a legacy towards future generations to increase and maintain green areas
Preserving the biodiversity of animals and plants as well as insects
Water resources are taken care of using them in the right way and reducing the manufacture and use of chemicals in sea or river water
Reducing the percentage of spending on unnecessary life
Reducing manufacturing rates and reducing their imports of manufactures, especially those that damage the environment or animals
Spending on scientific research to keep different species of life from extinction

يجب أن يكون هناك توجه عام للإنسان العادي في كل بقاع الأرض أن يكون ارثه نحو الأجيال القادمة هو زيادة المسطحات الخضراء والحفاظ عليها
الحفاظ علي التنوع البيئي للحيوان والنبات وكذلك الحشرات
موارد المياه يتم الاهتمام بالاستفادة منها بالطريقة الصحيحة وخفض تصنيع واستخدام الكيماويات في مياه البحر أو النهر
تقليل نسبة الإنفاق علي رفاهيات الحياة الغير ضرورة
تقليل نسب التصنيع وخفض وارداتها من المصنوعات خاصة المصنوعات التي يتم فيها الأضرار بالبيئة أو الحيوانات
والإنفاق علي البحث العلمي في الحفاظ على الأنواع المختلفة من الحيوات من الانقراض

Diego Rossi
Diego Rossi
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.

I believe that citizens can do little if anything , since to decrease everyone's environmental footprint one would have to stop with globalization , buy local products , travel less and more sustainably , make one's home as eco-friendly as possible and much more . A middle-range citizen with the prices of local products , public transportation and the prices for retrofitting one's home would end up in the deepest poverty bracket . If we then think about what globalization entails , exchange of goods and movement of people , then in my humble opinion we should refound the whole of modern civilization with a new economic and social model based on other foundations than globalization and liberal capitalism , the founding causes of the condition the planet is in .

Io credo che i cittadini possono fare ben poco se non niente , dal momento che per diminuire l‘impronta ambientale di ognuno bisognerebbe smettere con la globalizzazione, comprare prodotti locali , viaggiare meno e in maniera più sostenibile , rendere la propria casa il più ecosostenibile possibile e molto altro. Un cittadino di fascia media con i prezzi dei prodotti locali , mezzi pubblici e i prezzi per l’adeguamento della propria abitazione andrebbe a finire nella fascia della povertà più profonda . Se poi pensiamo a cosa comporta la globalizzazione, scambio di merci e circolazione delle persone , allora a mio modesto parere dovremmo rifondare tutta la civiltà moderna con un nuovo modello economico e sociale basato su altri fondamenti che non siano la globalizzazione e il capitalismo liberale , cause fondanti della condizione in cui versa il pianeta .

Reid
Reid

Not travelled since 2018 .I normally would go on a walking holiday in Europe. Travel first of all should be more expensive to deter the copious numbers of tourists. To be honest over the years it is actually an awful experience when you are looking forward to a holiday ie visit art galleries, historical places of interest only to experience what resembles armies of ants of people taking photos crammed in galleries who forever don’t even seem to cherish the actual art work absolutely infuriating. I blame social media travel blogs. The influx of tourists in their droves even here in our beautiful Scottish islands and the highlands have disrespectfully ruined our countryside using areas for the toilet quite disgusting having no regard for pristine landscapes.Take your own toiletries on holiday hotels should stop providing these in plastic packaging. Walk whilst on holiday don’t drive. Also hefty tourist taxes should be imposed on tourists after all they consume and use resources during their visits. A holiday should be a treat now and again and as I say made to be very expensive. The budget airlines over the years have been complicit in ruining the planet by providing budget ticket prices. These airlines should be taxed like a windfall tax .

Fukurou Shiroi
Fukurou Shiroi
The following contribution has been automatically translated from JA.

We don't go. We cherish the life around us.
Even if you don't go to tourist spots, cherry blossoms are blooming next door.

行かない。足元の暮らしを大事にする。
観光地にいかなくても、隣に桜は咲いている。

oneglio.trubian
oneglio.trubian
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.

I, too, have made 30 trips with the torch, and I haven't spent that much money

anch'io ho fatto 30 viaggi con il torcione e non ho speso tutti quei soldi

Pendak Carrer
Pendak Carrer

In theory, we can do a lot, such as stopping to travel, not using the gasoline car, switch to vegetarian food. Unfortunately this will not significantly reduce carbon emission — trucks, container ships will have to continue running, electric vehicles use energy coming from electricity utilities that use fossil fuel.

Anona
Anona
@Pendak Carrer

I cannot be vegetarian. The last time I tried I got very sick. On the rest I fully agree with you. Middle class regular Joe cannot have big impact.

Jan Robberts
Jan Robberts

Has anyone ever thought about the fact that the world actually NEEDS CO2?
We breathe in oxygen, partially breath out CO2, plants breathe in CO2 and create oxygen!
Just some additional information:
There are now more trees in the world than 150+ years ago as the only real fuel and building material was wood.
Greenhouses are 20-60% more effective in growing food....because they pump CO2 into them! (And those working in these greenhouses get 2 to 3 times more CO2)
Also, why are we not growing more hemp, which grows in months and provides much more oxygen than trees...apart from many other amazing benefits. (Trees take 15-50 years to grow)
Maybe time to start saving our people, then our people will save the planet, not the other way around!

Anona
Anona
@Jan Robberts

I am also wondering the same. Plants cannot live without CO2. We just need to have more plants, stop deforestation, take care of the oceans. Reducing CO2 and continue destroying forests will not improve anything.

wail salim
wail salim
The following contribution has been automatically translated from AR.
@Jan Robberts

I agree with you on the amazing benefits of cannabis plants, but with the whole planet growing and using cannabis, we may drive this planet on the road directly towards the sun at full speed

اتفق معك علي الفوائد المدهشة لنبات القنب لكن مع زراعة كل الكوكب بالقنب واستعماله فقد نقود هذا الكوكب على الطريق في اتجاه الشمس مباشرة بأقصى سرعة

Lux
Lux
The following contribution has been automatically translated from ZH.

Consumerism, which has lasted for decades, has led mankind to travel long distances by airplanes, a large energy-consuming tool. Therefore, 1. try to avoid long-distance travel destinations and choose more nearby countries and regions; 2. use trains and public transportation to travel whenever possible.

持续了几十年的消费主义导致了人类以飞机这种大能耗的工具进行长途旅行。所以，1. 尽量避免长途旅行目的地，多选择临近国度和地区；2. 尽可能使用火车、公共交通工具旅行。

oneglio.trubian
oneglio.trubian
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.
@Lux

But does all of humanity have 6,000 euros for air travel?

ma tutta l'umanità dispone di 6000 euro per viaggi in aereo?

Jérômef
Jérômef
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.

Personally, I don't think that travel should be banned, but the price of airplane tickets should return to the prices of the 1980s, and add the increase in the cost of living of the last 40 years.

Personnellement je ne pense pas qu'il faille interdire les voyages mais il faudrait que le prix des billets d'avion reviennent aux prix des années 80, et ajouter l'augmentation du coût de la vie des 40 dernières années.

oneglio.trubian
oneglio.trubian
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.
@Jérômef

80s prices, but which 1880s or 1980s?

prezzi anni 80, ma quali 1880 o 1980?

BeBo
BeBo
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.

Then you are excused if you FLY there ;)

Dann bist du entschuldigt, wenn du dahin FLIEGST ;)

Yuan Lei
Yuan Lei
The following contribution has been automatically translated from ZH.

It is too extravagant to talk about carbon footprints when Russian shells are raining down on Ukrainian towns, when food shortages are threatening many poor countries, when Germany may well run out of gasoline and natural gas in the winter, and when the world is facing hyperinflation, or even a Great Depression. A beggar has to think about how to survive, not about great causes. The exception, of course, is the wealthy elite few.

当俄国的炮弹雨点般落到乌克兰的城镇时，当粮荒正在威胁诸多穷国时，当德国很可能可能在冬天缺乏汽油和天然气时，当全世界面临高通胀，甚至大萧条时，谈论碳足迹过于奢侈。一个乞丐要考虑的是如何生存下去，而不是伟大的事业。当然，少数富有的精英例外。

Susan Misicka
Susan Misicka
@Yuan Lei

Your comment could be the start of a new debate on how people decide which causes to support when there are so many urgent problems in the world. Thank you for the comment and the idea.

marco brenni
marco brenni
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.

In my opinion it is already too late, but it is better to at least slow down the phenomenon by limiting harmful emissions to a minimum

Secondo me è ormai già toppo tardi, ma è meglio perlomeno rallentare il fenomeno limitando al minimo le emissioni nocive

wail salim
wail salim
The following contribution has been automatically translated from AR.
@marco brenni

It's not too late... We should just stop
Future generations are the solution... I think we've made a lot of mistakes in the past that future people should know
They may be able to change
I trust the innocence of children

لم يفت الأوان... يجب أن نتوقف فحسب
الأجيال القادمة هي الحل..... أظن اننا قد ارتكبنا الكثير من الأخطاء في الماضي يجب أن يعرفها القادمون
فقد يستطيعون التغيير 
أثق في براءة الأطفال

Rauf
Rauf
The following contribution has been automatically translated from AR.

When will the world stop pumping toxins into the arteries of this sick planet? What do you think is the radical solution that will save the world before an environmental disaster occurs in order to save our planet?

متى يتوقف العالم عن ضخ السموم في شرايين هذا الكوكب المريض صحيا ؟ برأيك ما هو الحل الجذري الذي سوف يخلص العالم قبل وقوع كارثة بيئية لكي ينقذ كوكبنا؟

Rauf
Rauf
The following contribution has been automatically translated from AR.

This question is supposed to be addressed to decision makers who consume the energy of this planet more than you and me.

من المفترض أن يُوجّه هذا السؤال إلى أصحاب القرار الذين يستهلكون طاقة هذا الكوكب أكثر منّي ومنك.

Susan Misicka
Susan Misicka

One of SWI's Twitter followers said: "It's essential to give each individual a carbon card". What do you think about that concept? Could carbon rationing be part of our future, much like food and fabric rations during wartime?

marco brenni
marco brenni
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.
@Susan Misicka

Very bad translation of "carbon card."
That said the idea would not be bad , but it is very difficult to apply in practice . How do you e.g. give a Co2 footprint point card to each consumer based on the footprint they leave in the environment?

Traduzione pessima di "carbon card".
Ciò detto l'idea non sarebbe male , ma è difficilissima da applicare nella pratica . Come si fa ad es. dare una carta punti per l'impronta di Co2 ad ogni consumatore in base all'impronta che lascia nell'ambiente?

Susan Misicka
Susan Misicka
@marco brenni

By bad translation do you mean what you see on the Italian site: "carta di carbonio"? It's helpful to get feedback on these automated translations -- thank you.

As for the carbon card or carbon rationing, there are calculators that help people compare the footprint of food, housing and mobility choices. What's probably hardest is getting an accurate picture of how much an individual actually consumes. And who checks? Still a very interesting concept...

marco brenni
marco brenni
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.
@Susan Misicka

That's right: the concept "carbon paper" in Italian does not exist (yet)-then the misunderstanding arises with the old "carbon paper" that was used to make copies when there were no copying machines yet.
I would therefore use the term "carbon point paper," which seems much clearer to me.

As for concrete application in daily practice, it is quite another big, perhaps impossible problem.

Esatto: il concetto "carta carbonio" in italiano non esiste (ancora) - sorge poi l'equivoco con la vecchia "carta carbone" che si usava per fare delle copie quando non c'erano ancora le macchine fotocopiatrici.
Userei pertanto il termine "carta punti sul carbonio" che mi sembra molto più chiaro.

Quanto all'applicazione concreta nella pratica quotidiana, è tutt'altro grosso, forse impossibile problema.

Davion Davion
Davion Davion
@Susan Misicka

💯💯💯

Jan Robberts
Jan Robberts
@Susan Misicka

Only if we, for once, would all be equal and not a bigger quota for some, and little for most of us.

François Gerber
François Gerber
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.
@Susan Misicka

that's the best idea, but the card has to be personal, otherwise there'll be exchanges and we'll be back to square one.
Excluding business trips, how much credit should each person have?
20 continental flights per year + 10 intercontinental per year?
Then a mandatory carbon offset tax!
Other solutions?

c'est la meilleure idée mais il faut que cette carte soit personnelle sinon il y aura des échanges et on en restera au même point.
Hors voyages professionnels, quel crédit à chacun?
20 vols continentaux par an + 10 intercontinentaux par an ?
Ensuite taxe compensation carbone obligatoire !
Autres solutions?

Chartreuse-Grimselsee
Chartreuse-Grimselsee

No I dont.
Because I gave a thought about all the elites who came with their expensive leather bags to various climate conferences on expensive jets, staying in airconditioned hotels, wasting food, signing paper documents that no one reads, creating trash that people need to clean and going back to their sea side apartments that is apparently being threatened.

Then I realized having a problem is one thing. Coming up with meaningful solution is totally other.

marco brenni
marco brenni
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.
@Chartreuse-Grimselsee

Well said: I agree!

Ben detto: sono d'accordo!

Isabelle Bannerman
Isabelle Bannerman SWI SWISSINFO.CH
@Chartreuse-Grimselsee

In your opinion, what could be a meaningful solution?

Chartreuse-Grimselsee
Chartreuse-Grimselsee
@Isabelle Bannerman

People who are really worried about climate are focussed on their own actions. They lead a simple life and consume things that are essential be it gadgets, clothes, or other items, They keep their own localities & environment simple and clean. They eat more natural stuff by minimizing harm to plants and animals. And they enjoy this new life. fully There are numerous such people who are just outside any limelight and continue to do their job without expecting any reward/fame or benefit.

Transferring these values for the market or government to solve is not going to help as very same values have been degraded by the same enterprises.
Also, shouting or crying in conferences or participating in daily events are only for getting your few minutes of fame. Breaking down your steps and seeing that your actions are not actually not solving what one is preaching. Doing small projects and then showing the result is more meaninigful.

Pendak Carrer
Pendak Carrer
@Chartreuse-Grimselsee

This focus on the „elite“ could be perceived as envy, but more importantly it does not address the question posed. Moreover, the elite portrayed here is a minute part of the total polluting population — the proverbial one percent — and their action or non-action has no significant effects on the global carbon footprint.

hgiot
hgiot
The following contribution has been automatically translated from FR.

we systematically forget the demographic growth: currently, 80 million inhabitants more each year, corresponding to a country like Germany!
It is necessary to realize the additional needs to bring each year:
more space for agriculture at the expense of biotopes, forests, ..., more roads accelerating the destruction of ecosystems, more production industries draining resources of all kinds, ...
This process has accelerated in the last two centuries and leads inexorably to the disappearance of the fauna, also in the seas...
Without birth control, this society will accumulate sanitary problems, water and food supply, ... the first symptoms are already visible ...

on oublie systématiquement la croissance démographique : actuellement, 80 millions d'habitants en plus chaque année, correspondant à un pays comme l'Allemagne !
Il faut se rendre compte des besoins supplémentaires à apporter chaque année:
plus d'espace pour l'agriculture se faisant au détriment des biotopes, des forêts, ..., plus de routes accélérant la destruction des écosystèmes , plus d'industries de production asséchant les ressources de toutes sortes , ...
Ce processus s'est accéléré ces deux derniers siècles et mène inexorablement à la disparition de la faune , aussi dans les mers ...
Sans contrôle des naissances, cette société va cumuler les problèmes sanitaires, d'approvisionnement d'eau et de nourriture, ... les premiers symptômes sont déjà bien visibles ...

Lh2905
Lh2905

I don’t fly and only stay in windmill power hotels. Is that the right answer?

I struggle to understand why we should all be guilted into addressing climate change when we only consume what is put in front of us. Want less flights? Make them more expensive. I care about the climate but I also follow market incentives.

marco brenni
marco brenni
The following contribution has been automatically translated from IT.

There is only one way to reduce the climate footprint: reduce travel to a minimum-other than traveling to exotic countries just to vacation! We preach well but we racify badly, in fact very badly: the airports are already clogged and the skies as well. Everyone has started polluting again worse than before pandemic and before the Russia v. Ukraine war. Despite solemn promises of "change" or "environmental austerity," indeed "momentous changes" , we travel as never before, not caring about the 'environmental load. Indeed: now we even have to make up for "lost time" and Co2 continues to skyrocket exactly as before. Man only makes solemn promises, but then when escapism or fun is involved, everything goes back to the same as before. There is no hope at all!

Per ridurre l'impronta climatica c'è un modo solo: ridurre gli spostamenti al minimo: altro che viaggi in paesi esotici solo per fare vacanza! Si predica bene ma si razzola male, anzi malissimo: gli aeroporti sono già intasati e i cieli pure. Tutti hanno ricominciato a inquinare peggio di prima pandemia e prima della guerra Russia contro Ucraina. Nonostante le solenni promesse di "cambiamento" o di "rigore ambientale", anzi di "cambiamenti epocali" , si viaggia come non mai, infischiandosene dell' carico ambientale. Anzi: ora bisogna addirittura recuperare il "tempo perso" e il Co2 continua a schizzare alle stelle esattamente come prima. L'uomo fa solo solenni promesse, ma poi quando c'è di mezzo l'evasione o il divertimento, tutto torna come prima. Non c'è alcuna speranza!

Isabelle Bannerman
Isabelle Bannerman SWI SWISSINFO.CH
@marco brenni

Hello from Bern and thank you for your contribution. I'm sad to read you don't have any hope. Do you see ways or incentives for people to look beyond "escapism and fun"?

Pendak Carrer
Pendak Carrer
@marco brenni

The impact of individuals traveling is insignificant compared to airfreight, container ships, trucks — those cannot be cut without stifling the global economy.

BeBo
BeBo
The following contribution has been automatically translated from DE.

Nschtzug instead of flight :) !

Nachtzug statt Flug :) !

Susan Misicka
Susan Misicka
@BeBo

I recently took the night train from Amsterdam to Basel -- great experience!

BeBo
BeBo
@BeBo

Genau :) Nachtzug statt Flug!
Habe ich schon zweimal benutzt von Zürich nach Hamburg mit dem ÖBB-Nightjet:
Ich habe ein Einzelabteil (mit Toilette und Dusche) gebucht, um die Corona-Ansteckungsgefahr zu minimieren .
Der Zug ist um ca. 20 Uhr in Zürich abgefahren und gegen 8 Uhr in Hamburg angekommen: Sehr praktisch.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR