This week crowds of people have been protesting at Heathrow Airport against expansions they argue would contibute to global climate change, which is bad.
This may be the first time in my life I have taken a stance against the pro-enviroment protestors. Here's why:
I like planes.
I'm an expat living on a different continent from my family. I fly. Rather a lot.
I also like travelling the world.
And sending gifts to people, especially my family in America.
All this requires flight.
I completely acknowledge that global warming is a catastrophe on a scale that has never before been witnessed in human history. We have it in our power to minimize the damage done to ecosystems the world over (and ultimately to ourselves) by making technological and lifestyle changes. I absolutely believe these changes can and should take place on a national/commercial/industrial scale (more fuel efficient cars, alternative energy sources, etc) as well as a personal scale (turn off your fucking lights, hang the laundry on line, ride a bike to work, etc.).
But please please please please please can we leave the planes alone?
This is what I think: I think we should do everything possible to arrest global warming, and if all that stuff doesn't work, then we can get rid of the planes. But can we leave them as a last resort, pretty please with a cherry on top?
Oh, and while we're on the subject of the environment, I would like to point out this article, which gets my vote for The Most Obvious Headline Of The Year Award.
6 comments:
They're protesting about the expansion of the airport, not trying to close the airport completely.
Most the airports expansion is related to relatively short-haul flights - do you really think flying from Heathrow to Manchester is necessary?
When I flew to Australia the plane used fuel roughly equivalent to 60 years continuous driving.
nope, parasails from now on. pulled by a jet ski. across the ocean. or maybe whales.
i see how it goes. YOU go on vacation and be all like 'oh, i forgot my camera, golly!' and we're supposed to be all like 'oh, thats COMPLETELY OK because you are perfect and we worship you' but when i be like 'my computer is retarded and my pictures wont download' I GET CALLED A BITCH!
uh huh.
fine.
Mr. Once You Go Black says hi.
Why can't they just run the planes on used cooking oil are something? Oh, I bet they could if they wanted to.
Me, I'd like to learn how to fly an ultralight someday. Not that Mrs. Nator is likely to allow that, seeing as she already discouraged me about the helicopter...
If they flew planes on used cooking oil, I'd learn to fly!
billy: no, of course flying from heathrow to manchester isn't necessary. what they ought to be doing is expanding the rail network, making it more efficient, affordable, and accessible. but i'm not denying the frivolity of flying, just asking that that particular frivolity be the last one to be axed in the planet-saving crusade.
fn: i hate jet skis. and how was I supposed to know that your 'puter was being fuckwitted?? i just figured you were being lazy or something. sue me.
da nator: never mind the ultra-light. go for the glider!
billy: if planes could be fuelled with cooking oil, the chippies of manchester could power the world's aircraft!
But the CherNObyl Wildlife Sanctuary has the world's greatest collection of three eyed fish just like the Simpsons.
The Extinction Level Event Virus that will eventually wipe us off of the map will need the current level of airline travel to remain constant in order to properly contaminate the entire world.
The planet is going to do whatever the hell it wants to anyway BUT a few scientists want to start fertilising the Southern Ocean with iron to boost populations of phytoplankton and increase the amount of CO2 absorbed from the atmosphere.
So if we just dumped all of our iron in the Anarctic Ocean we could fly more often. There now, don't you feel better?
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best.
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