To keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees, emissions must be reduced to 2.5 tonnes CO2eq per person per year by 2030.
One long-haul flight alone can exceed this budget โ per person!
Air traffic is a major obstacle to climate justice. While it may seem normal for Western Europeans or Americans to fly, this "normality" has only existed for the last few decades and is still rare worldwide. Only about 10% to 20% of the global population have ever taken a flight.
But everyone suffers from the consequences of flying and the climate crisis, especially those in countries of the global south.
And not all flights are equally necessary. Particularly, privileged people should question their choices take sustainable ones and call for change.
#Aircraft #noise can lead to serious health problems, from heart disease to mental health issues, sleep disturbance and hearing damage.
E.g. estimates say night-time aircraft noise near Frankfurt airport leads to 23,400 hospitalisations and 3,400 deaths a year.
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Air quality limits exist for particulate matter - but not for ultrafine particles (#UFP)!
As they are tiny, UFP penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream. This affects millions of people, not only those living around an #airport but also several kilometres downwind.
The aviation industry needs to face reality and find a #SafeLanding for the people working within it.ย
Various factors make change inevitable, but we have a choice: design or disaster. Let's choose design!
A thread about our #SafeLanding narrative and when and how to use itย โฌ๏ธ
Transformation can bring us a clean environment, a fair economy and livable future - and better, more secure jobs
To ensure this we need a #JustTransition that is targeted, led by working people, democratic, and part of a society-wide push to put us on track for a fair economy.
Messages to communicate the narrative:
โ Change will happen by disaster or by design, letโs choose design
โ Delaying change is reckless
โ Workers who built the aviation industry deserve a protected future
โ The first stage of transition is putting the brakes on expansion
โผ๏ธA class action lawsuit was filed last week in a Washington State court over health effects and soil contamination from air pollution from aircraft landing and taking off at SeaTac Airport.
The 46 page (double spaced) Complaint will be of interest to many in the US.
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The potential plaintiff class is 300,000 home owners and renters within a 5-mile radius of the airport. The lead attorney is Steve Berman of Seattle, who some years ago won the first (and big) class action suit against the major tobacco companies.
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Defendants: Port of Seattle (which operated the airport), Delta Airlines and Alaska Airlines (5th largest in US). The 2 airlines made 24% and 56% of the 287,114 flights into SeaTac in 2020. Albeit knowing about the health effects, the defendants grew facilities and flights.
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1โฃ Private jets are the most polluting option. They emit huge amounts of climate-damaging emissions compared to already highly polluting commercial flights - and especially to low-emissions alternatives like trains. #BanPrivateJets#TaxFrequentFlyers#MakePollutersPay
2โฃ One flight on a private jet causes much more pollution than most people in the world produce in a whole year for meeting all their needs like housing, daily mobility and food. #BanPrivateJets#TaxFrequentFlyers#MakePollutersPay