The French may be worried about the consequences of global warming, but several opinion studies show that few of those who travel by plane are ready to give it up, a mode of transport that emits a lot of greenhouse gases (GHG). According to a survey published in May 2023 by the Pégase chair at the Montpellier business school, 67% of the thousand people questioned said they were not ashamed at all of choosing to fly – only 12% said the opposite. Results similar to an Ipsos survey for THE JDDcarried out among a sample of 18-34 year olds at the same period: the plane is the second preferred mode of transport of respondents (54%), just behind the private car (65%).
This reflects a certain reluctance to give up the exceptional mobility offered by the air sector, in particular for the most mobile people (young people, working people without children, high-income households), even if they are aware of the need to quickly reduce GHG emissions. “I can’t give up the annual plane trip. Without that, I wouldn’t have the courage to keep the other resolutions, that’s my reward.”declared a young traveler at World in 2019, in a topic dedicated to the guilt of “green” travelers when it comes to flying.
Civil aviation is difficult to decarbonize because of its addiction to kerosene but also because two thirds of its impact on the climate comes from other factors, including the formation of condensation trails.
While waiting for stronger regulation of the sector by States, The world offers a calculator for anyone who wants to continue traveling by plane but is concerned about how they can change certain aspects of their lifestyle to individually “counterbalance” the emissions resulting from their travel. To visualize the efforts to be made (and especially their duration), simply enter a destination from the hundred offered.