Climate change fight to have massive impact on air travel in 2020, survey shows

File picture: Lindsey Wasson/Reuters

File picture: Lindsey Wasson/Reuters

Published Jan 14, 2020

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Brussels - Most Chinese, Europeans and

US citizens plan to fly less for holidays this year to limit

aircraft carbon dioxide emissions and help prevent catastrophic

climate change, a survey by the European Investment Bank (EIB)

showed on Tuesday.

The EIB Climate Survey was based on 30,000 respondents from

Sept 27 to Oct 21, 2019 in the 28 countries of the European

Union and the United States and China.

In the poll, 36% of Europeans said they already flew less

for holidays to help prevent climate change and 75% intended to

do so in 2020. In China the number of people planning less air

travel for holidays this year was 94%, and 69% in the U.S.

The aviation industry accounts for over 2% of global

greenhouse gas emissions, and if left unchecked emissions are

expected to rise as passenger and flight numbers increase.

For Europeans and Chinese, climate change is the biggest

challenge they face, topping access to healthcare and the threat

of unemployment in the EU and access to healthcare and fear of a

financial crisis in China.

In the United States, climate change was seen as the second

biggest challenge after access to healthcare, and more important

than the third biggest threat -- political instability.

Two thirds of people in Europe, the United States and China

think their individual behaviour can help tackle climate change

and more than three quarters of parents believe their children

will bear the consequences of climate change, the survey showed.

The survey also showed 93% of the Chinese were choosing

public transport over cars for environmental purposes. In Europe

the trend was 64% and in the United States 49%.

The survey of the EIB, the world's biggest investment bank

which is owned by EU governments, said 81% of Americans, 93% of

Europeans and 98% of Chinese were willing to buy fewer plastic

products to reduce pollution. Also, 92% of Chinese and 79% of

Europeans are committed to cut down red meat consumption, the

poll showed, while only 68% of Americans were ready to do so. 

Reuters

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