Google flights will start showing people the carbon footprint of their flights. Talking with @lourdesgnavarro on @NPRWeekend, I offer 2 reasons why this is a good idea -- and 1 reason it's not! npr.org/2021/10/10/104…
Good reason #1 - simply making people aware of how many calories they're eating, kilowatts they're using ... or carbon they're burning ... causes many to reduce our consumption. Just knowing what we're doing can motivate change. Exhibit A: behavior.rare.org/wp-content/upl…
Good reason #2 - responsible consumers will be able to recognize and reward companies that are using waste-based biofuels or electric short haul flights as their carbon emissions will be much less than their competitors washingtonpost.com/news/energy-en…
(and as this catches on more widely, it might possibly spur the laggards in the industry to catch up. One can hope :)
So why is this negative? Well, two reasons actually. First, some could assume a small reduction in carbon from choosing a better flight means that's all the change they need to make: and it's certainly not. We need system change at every scale.
And second, it could continue the trend of pushing the responsibility from entire industries onto the consumer: fostering a sense of individual guilt while the corporations continue to profit. businessinsider.com/fossil-fuel-co…
Overall, I think it's a net +. Most don't realize that flying is a huge source of emissions and this will make it clear. But knowing there's a problem is just the first step. We need action, and we don't have a lot of time. That's why initiatives like @flyingless are important.
What do YOU think? What pro or con for this new move did I miss?
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