Letter: Long-haul flights can be justified in climate fight

From Shawn Charland, Ottawa, Canada

I was interested to read about Graham Lawton’s life-affirming trip to see research work in Uganda. He mentions the climate crisis and his guilt about the long-haul flight required to get there. The balance of the piece cogently explains the steep scientific cost if research communities were to adopt a moratorium on long-haul flights(3 December 2022, p 28).

Here is another strong argument in favour of that view: the calculus of solving the climate crisis isn’t a zero-sum game. It is perfectly permissible, and sometimes necessary, for people who promote awareness and urgency of the climate crisis, and who lobby for solutions, to take long-haul flights. The benefit can outweigh the cost.

If one person took a long-haul flight to a conference that convinced 10,000 people not to drive their cars, that would be a brilliant win.