– Most of us don’t fly very much in a year, but there is a small group of people who travel a lot by plane. If this small group drops two of their annual trips abroad, it would have a big effect on the climate, says Anja Bakken Riise, head of Framtiden i våre hands. Earlier this week, she was among those who came out hard against the new campaign for SAS. The airline is giving away one million bonus points to those who manage to travel with 15 airlines in the Sky Team alliance by the New Year. SAS’s bonus campaign has gained momentum. Photo: Skjermdump / SAS.no – That campaign shows that we need new regulations to get rid of the most climate-hostile mode of travel, says Riise, who proposes several measures to reduce air travel. Away with bonus programs and advertising Our flying habits changed during the pandemic. Figures from the Institute of Transport Economics (TØ) show that we traveled on average 1.9 times by domestic flight in 2023, slightly fewer trips than in 2019. The number of trips abroad is also lower than before the pandemic. Do you use bonus schemes when you fly? No, I don’t need to. Yes, I earn a lot from that. I don’t travel by plane, and prefer to take the train. Show result The future in our hands has prepared a separate report. It shows that most Norwegians travel round-trip abroad by plane 1-2 times a year. On the other hand, 8 percent of us travel very often. – We need a progressive flight tax, which means you pay more for each journey you take. Today, it is the case that a small group of financially strong people are the ones who fly a lot. They thus contribute a disproportionate amount of greenhouse gas emissions. It should cost more than it does today, says Riise. According to the website Our world in data, air traffic accounts for around 2.5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, a report from the European Environment Agency shows that emissions from aircraft in most cases have far greater consequences per passenger kilometer than other transport methods. And earlier this year, new research came out which shows that the airline industry is responsible for more emissions than we first assumed. – Fewer flights will lead to cleaner air and a more stable climate. We badly need that, says Riise. She refers to Framtiden in our hands’ own research: The benefits of fewer flights Framtiden in our hands has prepared a report that shows the climate effects if we change our habits. The report shows: If we reduce the number of private international flights (round trip) to only once every three years on average, we can cut 4.1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents. That is more than three and a half times as much as we can achieve by mixing 20 per cent alternative aviation fuel (SAF), and electrifying the short-haul network. But even minor changes have a big effect. A halving of international journeys (to every two years on average) will e.g. cut 3.05 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents, which is more than three and a half times the annual cuts we can achieve by electrifying the gas plant on Melkøya. In addition to more expensive flight prices for every time you travel by air, the climate organization believes that it is time to get rid of the bonus programs and ban advertising for air travel. Simply to get people to fly less. They receive partial support from the Green Party (MDG). Will take it up in Parliament – Bonus schemes and advertising are a kind of encouragement for direct anti-climate elections. That’s the last thing we need as a society, really, says Une Bastholm in MDG. She believes it is time for the government to discuss whether both bonus schemes and advertising for flights should in any case be regulated. Une Bastholm in MDG wants to raise possible regulations on the promotion of air travel in the Storting. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB – Flying should be allowed. At the same time, we need people to fly as little as possible. Both bonus schemes and advertising encourage people to fly because they want to, not because it is necessary, says Bastholm. – Do you agree that such bonus programs should be banned? – I am open to the possibility that a ban could be a means of action. It would be best if the business operators themselves saw that such bonus programs are unmusical and unethical. Bastholm plans to raise the problem in Parliament. But as of now, State Secretary in the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Sigrund Aasland, says that they are not considering such measures. Exciting to watch – Flying has a large climate footprint. We must cut emissions from all sectors, including aviation. We have big ambitions for that. We expect all businesses to take part in the task of cutting emissions, she writes in an e-mail to news. – We have not considered regulating the arrangement of the bonus programme. But it would have been exciting to see more airlines make it possible for bonus points to be used to strengthen work on sustainability in aviation. SAS does not wish to comment on the matter. – The questions in this case are more industry-related and political than they are SAS-related. Therefore, we are probably not the right body for feedback, writes Øystein Schmidt in an email. In 2023, 21.9 million trips abroad were made to and from Norway. Here, an SAS plane approaches for landing at Flesland. Photo: Simon Skjelvik Brandseth / news Published 16.10.2024, at 16.35
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Climate campaigners will remove bonus schemes on flights – news Nordland
