Everyone needs a holiday – including the Earth!
How often do you consider your carbon foot-print?
When it comes to preventing runaway climate breakdown, tourism is like an invisible elephant in the room. Aircraft and shipping emissions are exempt from the 2016 Paris Agreement on limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Yet tourism is the biggest industry in the world and it is growing. That being said, 82% of the world’s population have never set foot on an aeroplane. By contrast, many people in Ireland love to fly. It may be unsurprising therefore to note that Irish people emit 40% more CO2 equivalent per person (12.8t) than the EU average (8.8t): source – Central Statistics Office, Cork, 2018.
Travel broadens the mind
While a ‘staycation’ is an attractive option for some green-minded holidaymakers, it is not the only green option. There are ways to travel which thread relatively lightly on the earth. Also, travel is not only enjoyable and educational, but it can help struggling communities to earn badly needed foreign income. However, those of us who travel have a responsibility be as ecological as possible.
Mark Smith’s website helps the traveller who wants to not fly. www.seat61.com promotes sail and rail route plans far and wide. It is free to use and simply requests donations to the UNICEF Syria Appeal. Another eco-tourism website is www.responsibletravel.com.
If you insist on flying, then there are online carbon offsetting options, although some seem very dubious. A good option is to make a carbon offsetting donation to the likes of the Tree Council of Ireland www.treecouncil.ie, or to Crann www.crann.ie. A large tree growing for 40 years will soak up 5 cubic metres of carbon, the equivalent of the carbon emissions from an average Irish family for 1 year.
A Traveller’s Reflection for St James’ Day, 25th July
One of the readings on this day is from Acts 11: 27 – 12: 2. It refers to a journey of some 300km from Jerusalem to Antioch which would have taken Agabus and friends about 15 days to walk, if they covered 20km a day. This brings to mind popular walking holidays today. However, that 300km trek was no holiday, as Agabus was warning of imminent widespread famine. That and other political tensions led to King Herod killing James, the brother of John. Today, it is not the Emperor Claudius, but climate breakdown which is causing widespread famine, political tension, war (such as in Syria), mass migration, fatal attempts to cross the Mediterranean Sea and exploitation by criminal traffickers of people. Let not our holidaying add to this climate breakdown!
5 Tips for Holidaying More Lightly on the Earth
1 Take your holiday somewhere that you can get to by bike, boat, train or car. Make the journey a part of the holiday experience.
2 Pack light, but include a re-usable shopping bag and a refillable water bottle, (if possible with a built in filter for peace of mind).
3 Eat (and drink) locally, ethically, seasonally and ideally organically produced fare.
4 Walk, or rent bikes when away to get around, and use public transport, or hire an electric vehicle.
5 Bring a drawing pad, pencils, or paints, to relax while intentionally observing and sketching places, people or artefacts.