Whoso cleaveth to justice, can, under no circumstances, transgress the limits of moderation. … The civilization, so often vaunted by the learned exponents of arts and sciences, will, if allowed to overleap the bounds of moderation, bring great evil upon men. … If carried to excess, civilization will prove as prolific a source of evil as it had been of goodness when kept within the restraints of moderation. … The day is approaching when its flame will devour the cities, …
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
Flying less is probably the most effective action we can take as individuals to lower our impact on the climate. For example, avoiding an international flight from New York City to London is comparable to the effect of eating vegan for two years. (Vegan means to not eat any animal products such as meat and dairy.) (1)
Flying is also an issue of inequity: The great majority of the world’s population does not fly–they cannot afford it. However, just about 1% of the world population, the frequent flyers, are responsible for more than half of the total emissions from passenger air travel.(2) Economically less advantaged people on the other hand suffer the most from the impacts of climate change such as worsening water scarcity, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, floods, and storms. Every little bit of global warming results in significantly more serious climate disruption which cause deaths and much suffering for many people living today, and even more for future generations.
While there are still some compelling reasons for flying, with love for humanity in our hearts we can no longer fly for mere pleasure.
Sources
(1) Frequent fliers are a problem for the planet. Should they pay more? (The Washington Post)
(2) Gössling S. and A. Humpe “The global scale, distribution and growth of aviation: Implications for climate change“
