In the debate over climate change, aviation has become an easy target. From airfreighted produce to holiday flights, advocates have been quick to call for fewer flights to cut carbon emissions. But there’s a deeper, more nuanced reality: if we’re serious about addressing climate change, we actually need to fly smarter—and perhaps even more—to tackle the challenges ahead.
Addressing climate change is full of action paradoxes. While reducing carbon emissions is vital, many global solutions rely on air travel to bring people together. Efforts to curb air travel overlook how essential it is for connecting regions, sharing knowledge, and driving innovation. Meanwhile, issues like poorly insulated buildings in temperate countries also add to the climate challenge. Tackling these contradictions requires a fresh perspective on what’s truly sustainable.
Some in the UK see flying fresh fruits and vegetables from Africa as a contributor to carbon emissions. However, airfreighted African produce accounts for less than 10% of goods flown between the UK and Africa. Surprisingly, the driver behind these flights is not primarily fruit and vegetables; rather, the synergy created by tourism and business travel enables this trade. This “spare hold” capacity offers African farmers a lifeline—providing a market for fresh produce that, in turn, fosters higher incomes, standards, and opportunities for these communities.
Despite the small share of airfreighted produce in overall emissions, it often receives a level of scrutiny that high-emission goods do not. Consider the millions of phones, fast fashion items, and electronics flown from countries like China—goods with longer shelf lives and no requirement for fast delivery. Yet these items are rarely questioned in the same way as fresh produce from low-income countries, where fruits and vegetables grown in optimal climates must be airfreighted to reach distant markets before spoiling. This “last loaded” produce, often a tiny fraction of cargo weight, represents not just food but a critical income for farmers. It’s a sad irony that while the world enjoys the convenience of airfreighted consumer goods, it is the essential produce from low-income countries that faces calls for reduction.
Beyond the benefits to trade, aviation connects people, ideas, and resources across borders, making global cooperation possible. The technology exchanges, partnerships, and innovations needed to address climate change require gathering the brightest minds from around the world. Simply put, aviation is an enabler of progress, not an enemy of the environment. Reducing flights overlooks aviation’s essential role in driving not only economies but also the solutions to the very crisis it’s blamed for contributing to.
Yes, aviation contributes to carbon emissions. But the solution is not to simply “fly less”; it’s to “fly smarter.” This means investing in cleaner, greener aviation technologies—electric planes, sustainable aviation fuels, and more efficient air traffic management. With higher incomes, a growing population, and improved accessibility to air travel, particularly in developing countries, this approach could benefit millions without compromising sustainability goals.
The truth is, we need aviation to solve the climate crisis. Grounding planes isn’t the answer; equipping aviation with sustainable tools is. By supporting the development of greener aviation technology, we can ensure that air travel remains an engine of progress while aligning with our climate ambitions.
Instead of simply saying “fly less,” let’s embrace the reality that we need to approach aviation as part of the solution. Let’s shift the conversation to making air travel smarter, helping both aviation and our climate ambitions soar.
