Writer and environmentalist Jonathon Porritt hopes the current pandemic will result in some kind of flight path for the airline industry’s sustainable future, with governments playing a key role in ensuring that bailouts are dependant on decarbonisation efforts.
New research by Swiss bank UBS forecasts a decline in air travel over the next decade in favour of more journeys by high-speed rail. They suggest this would in part be due to a shift in mindset brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
The COVID-19 crisis has lead to a rethink of what constitutes 'essential travel' - and is an opportunity to reset our economies and modus operandi within ecological boundaries.
The thin white clouds that planes draw across the sky are the largest contributor to aviation’s climate impact. The study says their heat-trapping impact will triple by 2050.
