Flying shame does not lead to flying less

2023-11-06 14:15:49

The fact that flying is harmful to the environment is increasingly embraced. But it does not make Dutch people fly less often, according to figures published by CBS on Monday.

Jeannine Christmas6 november 202315:15

Anyone who opens the newspapers, turns on the TV or scrolls through social media now knows that the word ‘flight shame’ has become indispensable. From influencers who explain why they don’t fly or why they do fly this one time. To newsreaders who explain to viewers how big their ecological footprint is after that trip to Bali.

Then there are the hilarious memes and cartoons. Like cartoonist Jip van den Toorn. Suffering from acute fear of flying? Then put your hands over your eyes, a purser in the comic instructs travelers.

Despite the great attention paid to the environmental damage of air travel, the figures published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) on Tuesday do not give the impression that the average Dutch person is concerned about this. Last quarter, considerably more people boarded a plane than a year ago. The statistics office notes an increase of eleven percent. From 18.7 million air passengers in the third quarter of 2022 to almost 21 million last quarter.

Image Anne Blaak

Rise that is likely to continue

These numbers are now slightly lower than before the corona crisis in 2019. Then the third quarter had no less than 23 million air passengers. But the figures from Statistics Netherlands show that the number of Dutch people boarding a plane has been increasing for three quarters in a row compared to last year. There is a good chance that this increase will continue.

The majority of Dutch people are not ashamed of flying, says researcher Peter Kanne of I&O Research. He has been conducting research into the environmentally conscious actions of Dutch people for four years. “The tenor is actually: I’m doing my best, but I’m not going to leave anything behind. I just want to be able to continue living.”

He also sees it in the figures he has collected in recent years. The number of Dutch people who are ashamed of flying has been hovering around 19 percent for a few years now. “I expected it to increase.” Nearly half of Dutch people (44 percent) also say they have flown in the past two years. That was still 39 percent last year.

The climate discussion has heated up considerably in recent years and the climate crisis is now also on the political agenda in the Binnenhof, says Kanne. “If people acquire more knowledge, they will also act more environmentally conscious, I had thought. But that is only the case to a limited extent.” He does see small steps of progress. We all eat a little less meat, we also leave the car at home a little more often. “But it is not very essential. Things may end up going in the right direction. But I hold my breath. I don’t expect it.”

‘The individual is put on the spot’

It is not entirely fair to wiggle a disapproving index finger in the face of the flying Dutchman, says ethicist Naomi van Steenbergen of Utrecht University. “Individuals are certainly responsible for their choices. But the choice to fly is also made because it is dirt cheap and you can hardly get anywhere by train.” The individual is now being put on the spot, says Van Steenbergen, while political choices do not make it any easier to avoid flying.

She points to kerosene, which is still not taxed. On governments that do not want to lose their international competitive position and therefore do not adjust their policies. And on the international train infrastructure that leaves much to be desired. “Framing the individual as one to blame ignores a large part of the problem. Ultimately, the individual cannot solve it. That is also up to companies, politicians and international partnerships.”