Flight Shame Is Real But It's Not Always Effective
In some European countries, people are actually flying less because they care about climate — but are they also driving less?
Flying low.
Photographer: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFPThe Swedish word flygskam or its German version, Flugscham, meaning “flight shame,” is one of the words of 2019. While it’s not easy to separate its effect on airlines’ business from other factors, the countries where people are most worried about climate change do appear to be seeing drops in avoidable air traffic.
In November, the number of people taking domestic flights in Germany fell 12% year-on-year, while the number of intercontinental passengers increased and intra-European travel dropped less sharply. As rail traffic keeps rising, it appears many people prefer the train when it doesn’t take considerably longer than flying and waiting at airports.