TIROLER TAGESZEITUNG, leading article: “Travel instead of saving the world”, by Verena Langegger

2023-08-03 20:00:37

Issued Friday, August 4, 2023

Innsbruck (OTS) The airlines expect record profits. Westerners need to catch up on what they were banned from doing during the pandemic. But is it enough that flying only wants to become climate-neutral from 2050?

Increased passenger numbers due to higher demand for more expensive premium flight tickets – the AUA parent company Lufthansa expects record profits in the second quarter and one of the best years in its company history. The AUA itself flies back into the black. Ryanair quadruples its quarterly profit. But is this really good news? The corona pandemic just happened and the working generation of the western world experienced for the first time that life goes on, even if the economy (with high subsidies) shifts down a decent gear. It was particularly nice to experience that with this almost complete shutdown of car, air, rail and ship traffic, many animals showed up once more. And no, we don’t mean wolf or bear, they don’t seem to be bothered by the airport or the motorway.
But man is probably not made for renunciation, withdrawal or modesty. After the travel restrictions during the pandemic years, people are flying once more as much as they can. The capacities are not yet back to the pre-corona level, but flights that are offered are booked. The term flight shame, which conquered the world from Sweden in 2018 under the hashtag #flygskam via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, seems to have been forgotten. It has also become quiet around the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (unless she is regarding to be arrested). And the concerns of the so-called “climate sticker” (demand for 100 km/h on the Autobahn with a very short blockade of traffic routes) are not particularly radical, but still very unpopular. It seems to be precisely this unpopularity of restrictions in the fight once morest global warming that is preventing politicians from forcing the aviation industry (along with all other sectors) to step up the pace in climate protection. Because flying is undoubtedly one of the most climate-damaging ways of moving around. But why is there no kerosene tax yet? After all, the aviation industry wants to be climate-neutral by 2050. Is this schedule sufficient? Just a few weeks ago, hurricane-force gusts also covered houses in Tyrol and knocked down trees. In June a mountain peak in the Silvretta broke off. In a future lab, experts are dealing with these scenarios of climate change in the country. And then? There isn’t much time left in the fight once morest what is, rather belittlingly, called climate change. No large industrialized country can achieve the climate targets. That’s fixed. Flying away doesn’t help either.

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