Flygskam – How to Fix Flight-Shame

Now that it is prime travelling time, hello to all the Aussies who have just returned from Europe, you may be thinking about the environmental impacts of your travel habits. It’s no secret that flying creates tonnes of carbon emissions and is one of the least environmentally-friendly ways to travel.

The Swedish have a word for this flight shame, and it’s flygskam. The term has come from an anti-flying social movement that started in 2017 and has since grown in popularity.

But how do we combat “flight shame” and ensure our carbon footprint isn’t growing with each flight we take?

One effective way to alleviate your “flygskam” and offset your flight’s carbon emissions is through FlyGRN.com. FlyGRN works by booking a flight with one of its partners by searching through dozens of flight booking sites. Once your flight is booked, FlyGRN will receive a fee from its partners for the booking of your flight ticket. Then, with that fee, FlyGRN will try to partially or completely offset your flight’s carbon emissions for FREE! The carbon is offset by planting trees or by solar cooking projects. To round it off, you will receive a CO₂ certificate in your letterbox.

Another tip is to fly during the daytime if possible. Night-time flying requires the use of extra lights that require extra power, which can add to your carbon footprint.

My Climate has a nifty calculator to help you calculate and offset your CO₂ emissions. Simply put in the details of your flight, such as the starting and landing destinations, whether it’s one-way or a round-trip and the number of passengers you’re travelling with. It will then calculate the amount of carbon dioxide your trip will produce, and give you a few options to offset that amount.

It also compares how many emissions your flight produces compared to the maximum amount of carbon dioxide each person has to produce in order to stop climate change.

As you can see, we have a long way to go.

My Climate also has additional carbon calculators for a variety of different modes of transportation and other activities, to see how much carbon dioxide is pumped into the atmosphere.

Another simple solution, whilst often overlooked or put in the all too hard basket, is to take alternative modes of transport. Start small by swapping out shorter trips or by incorporating some non-flight legs in a holiday itinerary. It can be fun to try out different, local modes of transport!

There is still a lot to be done in the way of offsetting carbon emissions through flights, but if we start offsetting each flight we take via an array of initiatives, changes can be made to make the world healthier.

By Sarah Panther

For more travel, lifestyle and wellbeing articles, visit Wellbeing Collective.