Over spring break, many of us in Squamish took flight to far-off locales, children in tow.
It is a cultural tradition in North America to explore the world when we get away from school and work. Travel broadens the mind and forms bonds of understanding not only with the family and friends we fly to meet, but also with strangers we encounter.
It hasn’t always been thus.
Those of us old enough to remember the toy the Lemon Twist and an elder Trudeau’s reign as prime minister recall a time when only the wealthy took vacations abroad. It was such an event that people dressed up to board the plane.
In the past two decades, flight has become affordable to the point many book flights a couple times a year.
But should we?
Airline travel accounts for four to nine per cent of the total human climate change impact, according to the David Suzuki Foundation. Since 1990, carbon dioxide emissions from international flights have increased 83 per cent, Suzuki foundation data shows. In fact, per passenger, per kilometre, airplane travel contributes more to climate change than driving a car or taking a train.
Yet we rarely hear of people giving up their holidays for environmental reasons. In fact, I have contacted a few environmentalists for interviews over the years and learned they were away on exotic vacations. These are people who protest the oil and gas industry or even gave up their cars for environmental reasons.
As a society, if we are truly dedicated to tackling climate change, shouldn’t we be looking hard at our unnecessary air travel?
The fact my sons have been on planes dozens of times more than I had at their age fills me with pride on one level. They are smarter and more cultured for it. They also formed a stronger bond with my parents with their twice-yearly trips to Quebec.
Cutting out airline travel is a tough concept for me to wrap my brain around, but I am working on it.
After all, do we really need to go to tropical beaches in the middle of winter or to far-off festivals in summer? In Squamish, we could likely spend every day off hiking a new trail with family and friends or kayaking to investigate the coast.
It’s something to ponder as we look toward our next time off.
