I calculated my personal emissions in 2019 and found that 85% of my emissions came from flying. That sealed the deal. October 6, 2019 was the last time I flew in an airplane. And I plan on never flying again.
The climate crisis is an existential threat to all living things on this planet. We must stop burning fossil fuels as quickly as possible, and one way to do that is to stop flying. I have chosen to live a low-carbon lifestyle because I understand the scale and the severity of the climate crisis. The climate is crumbling before our very eyes. So we must act.
Furthermore, flying is inherently a justice issue. Rich people fly. Poor people can not. Rich people pollute the most. Poor people pay the climate consequences first and worst. Those facing the most extreme effects of the climate crisis are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, women, children, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and low-income folks. Flying is not only a climate justice issue. It’s also a social justice and a racial justice issue.
I understand that I have many domains of privilege. And it is my responsibility to take action simply because I can.
Finally, I became a father in 2021. I have no idea what the world will look like 10, 20, or 50 years from now. And when my son grows up and asks me what I did about climate and ecological breakdown, I want to look him in the eye and tell him that I did everything I could.
Dan Castrigano is one of the Flight Free USA campaigners.
He runs Flight Free Vermont (Instagram, Twitter), a state chapter of Flight Free USA.
He also organizes with Safe Landing BTV (website, Instagram, Twitter), a campaign demanding a 50% reduction of emissions at Burlington International Airport by 2030.
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