When it comes to carbon emissions, travel - particularly flying - has a huge and damaging impact on the environment.

The travel industry is estimated to generate between 8% and 11% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, while aviation alone accounts for 2.5%.

And, even though we’re now more aware than ever of how damaging flying can be, increasing demand for flights across the globe means that emissions from aviation are still growing - even as we move closer to the 2030 deadline set by the Paris Agreement. 

The visual art sector - like so many others - is an international community based on connection and collaboration. But this makes it even more important for us as a sector to be aware of the damaging impact of travel, and to adopt a ‘climate conscious’ approach. 

What is climate conscious travel?

GCC defines ‘Climate Conscious Travel’ as having an awareness of the environmental impacts of travel, and accepting responsibility for damage that our travel causes.

To travel climate consciously, we all need to take steps to reduce how much we travel; choose methods of travel that limit the damaging impacts as much as possible; and make use of low-carbon options.

We should also all be measuring and tracking the emissions associated with travel as part of our carbon reporting, as well as raising awareness of the environmental impacts of travel to our colleagues, partners, clients, visitors, and audiences - and incentivising them to make good choices where we can.

Why do we need to take travel seriously?

It’s hard to overstate the environmental impact of carbon-intensive travel like flying. During flights, planes emit greenhouse gases at different levels - and, because they’re flying at such high altitudes, these gases can have different and more damaging effects.

Meanwhile, the airline industry is expanding rapidly: it is estimated to be responsible for approximately 3.5% of the total global human impact on the climate to date. Flying is the fastest-growing contributor to climate change globally. Demand for flights is ever-growing, and aviation’s share of global emissions is likely to rise as other sectors decarbonise and reduce their impacts.

Importantly, flying is an activity largely reserved for the globally privileged people who can afford it. Only 1% of the world's population emit 50% of the CO2 generated by commercial flights.

No environmental alternative

As it stands, there’s no feasible replacement for fossil-fueled long-haul aviation at its current scale. This means that, to keep in line with the targets set by the 2015 Paris agreement, we need large-scale behaviour change in order to  reduce aviation emissions. Cultural, social and workplace innovations will be a vital part of facilitating and driving this behaviour change.

All of these reasons - the huge environmental damage wrought by flying, the increasing demand for flights, the lack of replacements for fossil-fueled aviation, and the fact that flying is reserved for a privileged few - underpin our belief that we all need to think more climate consciously about our travel choices.