Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
We need to ask: Do we need to fly?
OPINION: Residents of Renwick were alarmed to hear helicopters over the town during the Wine and Food Festival weekend. Was there a wildfire or other emergency? It turned out to be tourist flights from the festival.
More than annoying, the flights sit in stark contrast to the wine industry’s acknowledged goal of producing a sustainable product. While vineyard and winery companies look for ways to cut the greenhouse gas emissions of their operations, festivalgoers are treated to a fossil fuel-intensive thrill.
In other parts of the country, as well as here in Marlborough, people were mourning the anniversary of Cyclone Gabrielle, a storm known to have been made more destructive by global warming, a phenomenon fuelled by burning fossil fuels.
This illustrates the central conflict about flying; it is one of the great joys of modern life but it fuels global warming, which is increasingly causing great loss and personal tragedy. It is time we asked ourselves: “Do we really need to fly?”
While we all make our own choices, a hierarchy of “flying needs” might be helpful in making those choices for people who wish to cut down on air travel. Peace keeping, disaster relief, police and rescue should be highest priority. Keeping us safe and secure has got to be top of the list.
Business travel might come second. We all need to make a living and if you need to set up a remote office for your business or visit a field site, there is little alternative. Business meetings and conferences can be run online, though. Face-to-face meetings with colleagues are nice but are they essential? Ask if meetings or conferences can be accessed online, with Zoom or Google Meet.
While online video calling is quite good these days, anyone with family or a sweetheart overseas knows that seeing them in the flesh is special. Travelling to see these people might be third. Just remember, the longer you stay, the more hugs-per-travel-kilometre you’ll get. It is best to make the visit long and memorable.
Family events, such as funerals, marriages, birthdays, demand we make quick, emissions-intensive trips. With a little bit of effort these can accommodate your online presence - you may not need to attend in person if you can attend online. And it would cheaper for everyone.
The lowest priority might be holidays, sightseeing tours and sport. Can we stay local? There are plenty of wonderful places to visit, sightsee and relax here in Aotearoa. Do we need to go to Hawaii when the Bay of Islands will do? If you badly want to see a place or event, will a TV programme do? As global warming-fuelled weather extremes intensify, we are told we can expect more travel disruption.
Air travel is a self-aggravating pursuit – the more we fly, the more the world warms and the worse it gets for all of us.
So, at the next Wine and Food Festival, we should ask ourselves, “Do we really need to see the vineyards from the air? Maybe we’ll all just go to a winery for dinner, instead.”
If you’d like to learn more about Climate Karanga Marlborough, you can visit our website, at climatekaranga.org.nz.