Travel is fun! People all over the world love to travel. When you travel, however, you pollute. Any type of travel leads to air pollution and solid waste pollution. A recent detailed study on the environmental impact of global tourism has shown that the contribution of global tourism to global warming and pollution is much larger than previously estimated.
It will not be fair or practical to ask people to stop traveling for vacation or business, but it makes sense for all of us to travel less to help reduce air pollution and global warming. If you have seen a beautiful city like Paris ten times why not forego your next trip to Paris and give a chance to another human being to visit that city for the first time. The severe and worsening income inequality around the world means that a small share of human population gets to travel a lot and a large segment can not afford to travel at all.
With the advancement and availability of internet it is possible to substitute virtual travel for actual travel. There are many beautiful places that you see just by going to an appropriate website. There are even live cameras that will take you live to many cities, to jungles of Africa, to mountains of south America, to coral reaves, to many many places.
Less Business Travel:
Many business trips are unnecessary. You can meet business partners by Skype. You can send a product sample by Fed Ex and then discuss it with a potential buyer on Skype. Businesses don't mind because they can deduct a portion of the travel costs from their corporate income tax and can pass a portion to consumers. Business leaders have a moral duty to minimize business travel until we find a way to stop and reverse global warming.
Travel Less for Academic Conferences
Academic conferences are also unnecessary. There was a time when attending an academic conference was the only way to network with other experts in your field and initiate joint research. Those days are gone. Now all scholars who like to exchange ideas or do joint projects are continuously in contact by email and Skype and instant messenger and Facebook and ..... Conference participation is seen more as a trip for relaxation and fun than for advancement of research. But any type of travel causes pollution. Unfortunately, the academic reward system for promotion and tenure places a value on participation in academic conferences.
It is time to revise this tradition. In the age of internet there must be other mechanisms to measure research productivity of scholars than article presentation. How about creating an online presentation and feedback mechanism, which is peer reviewed. Then the contribution of a scholar to a research topic, as an author or feedback provider, can be measured and reported for promotion purposes. The pollution and congestion cost of academic travel must be taken into account in its overall cost-benefit analysis.
Why not travel less and pollute less? There is beauty everywhere. Peace and tranquility can be found in nearby destinations. If you like to travel but would like to minimize the negative environmental impact of your trip take a look at Andy Newman's in this New York Times article.
Related Articles:
The benefits and costs of academic travel. Or "there and back again; again and again"
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