"Having kids is ecologically unsustainable."
There, I've made an equally unnuanced statement, now what?
I don't think things are that black and white. A moderate amount of air travel is not unsustainable per se, I would think.
There, I've made an equally unnuanced statement, now what?
I don't think things are that black and white. A moderate amount of air travel is not unsustainable per se, I would think.
Nothing is moderate about our current day consumption and extraction, and moderation is not compatible with our current socio-economic "growth or death" model.
Thankfully, birth rates rapidly decline as nations develop. It's a problem that fixes itself. But it is a problem.
I'm not sure if this is a sarcastic comment but I'll bite: because it's a net loss for everyone in the long term ? I know many people stop at "will it make us richer ?" step but there are other things to consider. We're not in the 1800s anymore, we know about pollution and its long term effects for a while now.
On top of that tourism might bring short term money but it's built on completely unstable funnels that can collapse at any point (cue covid), then you're left with regions of the world which lost the majority of their industries to tourism and are incapable of surviving or adapting when they're hit by the slightest hardship.
Everybody chips in for subsidies, then AirBNB hosts reap the profit and raise rent for locals. Yay!
If you're looking for subsidies, check out the way jet fuel is taxed (usually at far lower rates than regular fuel) or implement a consistent emissions scheme. Not that either is likely for a while given the ongoing carnage in the industry.
Which is not to say there aren't other subsidies for air travel, for example in keeping open the minor airports at which low-cost airlines often land. And money for manufacturers.
Airtravel is a very heavily subsidised sector. As is train-travel and other public transport, but (I'm not expert, so this is merely hearsay) apparently airtravel is heavier subsidised than public transport.
He literally used the expression "to wind down":
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/wind-dow...
"if a business, situation, activity, etc. winds down, or is wound down, it gradually ends"
So I think he meant there should be no more air travel at all.