We all need to travel. But with a little thought we can reduce the environmental impact of our journeys – using less oil and therefore creating less pollution and CO2.
Air travel
Air travel are the fastest growing contributor to climate change, responsible for 6.3% of the UK’s total CO2 emissions. However, this is does not give the full picture. Different estimates say that CO2 emitted at high altitudes is between 2 and 3.5 times more damaging than that released at ground level.
Try to avoid flying short distances and cut down on the long haul trips. More and more organisations are offering the chance to offset the impact of your air travel by supporting nature reserves or renewable energy projects (mainly in developing countries). Offsetting is helpful because it highlights the problem of excess flying, but in order to really curb climate change we must reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
What are the alternatives
Trains
In many cases, catching a train can be quicker than flying if you are going to Paris or Brussels. The Eurostar has a check-in time of 30 minutes (compared to two hours by air), and you don’t have to travel to the airport. In spite of incredibly cheap airline tickets, Eurostar is becoming more popular. According to Eurostar, the train is also more reliable – 87% of their trains ran on time,
compared to around 70% of flights on the same routes.
Rail passes
The widely recognised InterRail scheme splits Europe into seven zones. Passes are available for 16 days in one zone, 22 days in two zones, while holders of the one month pass can travel in any zone. For further information see the InterRail site (external website).
Boats
Regular services run from British ports to Ireland, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
Your carbon footprint
Your carbon footprint is a measure of the impact your activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. You can find out how to measure your carbon footprint by using the carbon footprint calculator (external link).