Airlines scramble to overcome polluter stigma as 'flight shame' movement grows

(Reuters News, 3 Jun 2019) The aviation industry has set out a four-pronged plan to achieve carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and halve net emissions from 2005 levels by 2050 - but is it enough?

In Lorna Greenwood's London home, there is a shelf lined with travel guides. But the 32-year-old mother and former government employment lawyer has given up flying.

Greenwood, who grew up enthralled by the possibilities offered by plane travel, is part of a growing group of environmental activists in Northern Europe who are shunning flights as concerns about global climate change increase.

"It's a tough pill to swallow, but when you look at the issues around climate change, then the sacrifice all of a sudden becomes small," Greenwood said.

A Swedish-born anti-flying movement is spreading to other European countries, creating a whole new vocabulary, from "flygskam" which translates as "flight shame" to "tågskryt," or "train brag."

A number of famous Swedes have stopped flying, including opera singer Malena Ernman, the mother of teenage activist Greta Thunberg who has thrust climate change into the spotlight.

"Flygskam" was a major topic at a three-day airline summit in Seoul this weekend, with global industry leaders launching a counter-offensive.

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Reuters News, 3 Jun 2019: Airlines scramble to overcome polluter stigma as 'flight shame' movement grows