Read on Twitter
Is there a way to archive a video forever? I think the people of 2050 would appreciate this truly unforgettable insight into the 2020 approach to the climate crisis:
A curious note is that of the responses to this tweet, most focus on the passengers ('idiots'), a couple mention capitalism......
....really, I think the main culprit here is @Qantas, whose revenue isn't just from flights, but mainly from *wasteful* and *avoidable* flying
....really, I think the main culprit here is @Qantas, whose revenue isn't just from flights, but mainly from *wasteful* and *avoidable* flying
As @rutherdan explains below, a decent bulk of flights are filled with *frequent fliers* - eg, people moving their body so they can exchange words in a meeting and fly back, instead of doing a video call:
https://theicct.org/blog/staff/should-you-be-ashamed-flying-probably-not
https://theicct.org/blog/staff/should-you-be-ashamed-flying-probably-not
^ Airline companies fully understand that they need *wasteful* and *avoidable* trips to continue to be profitable. Hence: frequent flyer programs. They need to nudge us into thinking deciding to fly to a meeting instead of doing a video call instead is a nothing decision.
The 'flights to nowhere' won't be a big quantity of emissions, and aviation is already a small % of global total, but they are *perfectly* illustrative of how these companies actively decide to nudge, provoke and encourage demand for a high-emissions service they provide.
It all seems very related to the four wheel drive debate. As I've written, vehicle emissions around the world (Europe, below) are worsening because car companies are selling bigger cars.
Who's responsible? The people who made the car, or the people who bought it?
Who's responsible? The people who made the car, or the people who bought it?
My key argument: think less about the hearts of these people, whatever you personally feel about them, and worry more about the incredible, huge, momentous corporate machines that are also comprised of people, who are taking active steps to worsen the problem we're trying to fix.
An extra note - @Qantas reminds us the flight was "offset". Which nicely illustrates how offsets (which should be reserved for *unavoidable* emissions, if used at all) are used as cover for waste and worsening of emissions
https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/qantas-sightseeing-flight-to-promote-australias-unique-tourism-wonders/
https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/qantas-sightseeing-flight-to-promote-australias-unique-tourism-wonders/
Extra note #2 - Qantas is part of the OneWorld network, which has, of course, committed to net zero emissions by 2050. Which presumably means reduce 99% of emissions from 2049-2050. Also: 90% of Qantas' customers don't select offsets.
https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2020/09/29/oneworld-defends-sightseeing-flights-as-it-commits-to-net-zero-by-2050/
https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2020/09/29/oneworld-defends-sightseeing-flights-as-it-commits-to-net-zero-by-2050/
Anyway, if someone wants to calculate the total emissions from this flight, here's the path, plane details etc. 8.5 hours is......pretty damn long, actually. I thought this was like a 1 hour up and down thing? https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/qf787#25bb4946
And....(sorry for the long thread, but this all feels v relevant right now!)....if the Great Barrier Reef wasn't enough, they're planning 12 hour trips over Antarctica (!!!!!) https://www.businessinsider.com/qantas-antarctica-flights-sightseeing-coronavirus-2020-8?r=US&IR=T
