CRAZY PEOPLE.
Europe's new green mobility: fewer domestic flights, now it's time to travel by train
Although Europe is now one of the least polluting places on the planet, much still needs to be done to change our lifestyle in a truly green way. Fortunately, the economic prosperity the Continent enjoys allows people to focus on these aspects much more than elsewhere.
The trend in recent years, which started thanks to the 'Flight shame' initiative in 2018, is to reduce domestic flights, preferring instead other, greener forms, such as train or car sharing. Indeed, short-haul flights within national borders are a terribly polluting way of travelling, and so Europeans are looking for other solutions.
Many nations, reading the statistics, are putting incentives in place and are already seeing significant changes in behaviour. In fact, most European states are already seeing a marked decrease in domestic flights compared to the past. With all this, the Old Continent continues to confirm itself as the perfect place for truly functioning green active policies.
Europe's new green mobility: fewer domestic flights, now travel by train
Although Europe is to date one of the least polluting places on the planet, much still needs to be done to change our lifestyles in a truly green way. Fortunately, the economic prosperity the Continent enjoys allows people to focus on these aspects much more than elsewhere. The trend in recent years, which began thanks to the "Flight shame" initiative in 2018, is to reduce domestic flights, preferring instead other, greener forms of travel, such as by train or car sharing. In fact, short-haul flights within national borders are a terribly polluting way of traveling, and so Europeans are looking for other solutions. Many nations, reading the statistics, are putting incentives in place and are already seeing significant changes in behavior. In fact, most European states are already seeing a marked decrease in domestic flights compared to the past. With all of this, the Old Continent continues to confirm itself as the perfect place for truly working green active policies.
Europeans turn to green
The economic and social well-being generally experienced in Europe is allowing citizens to develop a new green mentality, especially when it comes to short-haul travel. Indeed, in recent years a new trend is emerging, with travellers in the Old Continent tending to prefer the train, or other sustainable means, to travel within national borders, instead of the plane, a means that is perhaps cheaper and faster but also much more polluting
The "Flight Shame" movement
In order to dissuade people from taking short-haul domestic flights for travel, the 'Flight Shame' moment was born in Sweden in 2018. The aim of this new green mobility, of course, is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and combat climate change as much as possible.
The Eurocontrol data
Eurocontrol is a pan-European civil-military organisation dedicated to supporting European aviation. Its data, collected in 2022, indicate a large reduction in domestic flights in favour of, for example, rail. To give a few examples, 38% fewer domestic flights took off from Germany than in 2019. In Lithuania and Finland, they decreased by 38% and 35% respectively.
The most virtuous countries in the European Union.
This data show that Germany, Finland and Lithuania are the most virtuous countries in Europe in terms of decreasing domestic short-haul flights. These three are joined by Ukraine, with a drop of 87% between 2019 and 2022. Obviously, the terrible war against Russia, which is devastating the country and its infrastructure, also influences these figures.
A declining trend across the continent
The United Kingdom recorded a 25% decrease in domestic flights. Austria (-32%), Sweden (-27%), Switzerland (-20%), Croatia (-19%) and Ireland (-17%) also recorded significant decreases.
Hungary Europe's only black jersey
15% was the drop recorded by France in the period under consideration. Spain and Portugal also saw a decrease in domestic flights, by 7 and 6 per cent respectively. Orban's Hungary is currently the only country in the eurozone that has seen an increase in domestic flights, where they have risen by 56% since 2019.
The credit does not lie solely with individual citizens
The trend towards a greener lifestyle, especially in terms of travel, is not only attributable to the qualities and virtues of individual European citizens. In fact, individual states are also making major efforts, together with the European Commission, to implement active policies and incentives to dissuade people from taking short-haul domestic flights. At the moment, this seems to be working rather well.
The active policies of Germany and France
Delving deeper into this, suffice it to say that Germany has introduced a discounted public transport pass, offering travellers unlimited use of local and regional transport for only EUR 9 per month. Or, Spain has invested more than EUR 700 million in a scheme that provides free tickets to long- and short-haul travellers.
Eurocontrol's hard data, not all that glitters is gold
Looking at the cold numbers, and reading the report, one reads that in 2022 there was an overall decrease of 16.7%, which corresponds to 4989 fewer daily flights in the network. However, the data shows how by 2029 the figures could return to pre-pandemic levels.
The convenience of train travel compared to air travel
The restructuring of European railway routes is contributing to the discovery of this means of transport. Furthermore, it is very easy to calculate aircraft emissions, and it is just as easy to realise how disproportionate they are. For example, according to the flight emissions calculator, a round trip economy class flight from London to New York emits about 1.48 tonnes of CO2 per passenger, more than twice the average output of a person in Ghana in a whole year.
From the Road
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Prisons are one of the sad institutions on which, unfortunately, modern society is based. Removing individuals who are dangerous to the community, and enclosing them all together in one place for the purpose of surveillance and re-education, is one of the ways our ancestors found to ensure the safety of the population.
They remain places, albeit atrocious, that are nonetheless fascinating because of the peculiarity of their rules, the micro-world they inhabit, and also because of the many fictional works, films, books and many others, that have prisons as their main setting.
But which are the most famous prisons in the world? Among the largest, the most luxurious and the bloodiest, one can really find all possible and imaginable types.
Natural Events
08/06/2024
A meteorite crater (also called astroblem, impact crater or basin) is a circular-shaped depression formed by the impact of a meteorite, asteroid, and in general a celestial body, on the surface of a planet.
Evidence of many of these craters, which have impacted our planet over geological eras, can be found on planet Earth. One of the most famous, for example, is the one believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs (called the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction).
Some of these craters can be found underground today, or at least the traces they left behind. Others have become beautiful lakes, others are still desolate and remote places today. But which are the largest in the world by diameter?
Home page
07/06/2024
We are all realising that our way of life, the one our parents, who were born and raised especially after the Second World War, taught us, is no longer sustainable. There are too many of us in this world now, and nature can no longer provide us with everything we need.
Capitalism, or consumerism for short, is forcing us to submit to environmentally worn-out logics that would not be sustainable even in the long run, but are even less so in the short time we have left before everything falls apart. Our way of life must change radically if we are to allow the survival of mankind. For example, the introduction of the law in Europe allowing the sale of insect meal aims at exactly that, at sustainability.
Therefore, it is necessary for all of us, while there is still time, to change certain behaviours to help the world. Here, then, are some tips for leading a greener and more sustainable life.
From the Road
06/06/2024
According to theMain Streets Across the World 2022report, which analyzes the main shopping areas of 92 cities around the world, New York Fifth Avenue is the most expensive route in the world followed by Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui. Post pandemic, the most expensive street in Hong Kong loses the top of the ranking and records the worst drop ever, -41%.
In detail, with an average annual fee of 14,547 euros per square meter, the Via Montenapoleone in Milan ranks ahead of New Bond Street in London and Avenue des Champs Élysées in Paris, respectively in fourth and fifth place in the global ranking of the most expensive streets in the world.
Via Montenapoleone in Milan, has earned the title of the most expensive shopping street in Europe and the third overall worldwide, with a jump of two positions compared to the last research of 2019.