Thursday 18 August 2022

Eating Beans So the Rich Can Fly Supersonic?

Three major airlines (American Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic) have signed up to buy jets from 'Boom Supersonic'. 'Boom Supersonic's jets should be available to carry passengers at Mach 1.7 over water, by 2029. These planes will really boom, making their operation obvious to all on the ground! (https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/aug/16/american-becomes-third-airline-to-place-order-for-boom-supersonic-jets). Supersonic travel for a rich minority (only a few people take the vast majority of commercial flights), seems especially antisocial at a key time in attempts to reduce the impacts of damaging climate change. These aircraft, travelling twice as fast as current machines, will be major emitters of 'greenhouse gases', pumped high into the atmosphere. The news of this development is also likely to disincentivise people encouraged to change their lifestyles in other ways. The UK's 'Food Tsar', Henry Dimbleby, has said that 'England must reduce meat intake to avoid climate breakdown' (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/16/england-must-reduce-meat-dairy-intake-says-henry-dimbleby). Many farmers and consumers might well resist changes to their relationship with meat, when folk flying high above them nullify their efforts? They might think 'what's the point?'

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