(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
It's easy to spin the globe and dream away to Patagonia, Madagascar or New York. Cheap airline tickets, wage growth and more leisure time have in Norway in recent decades made dreams come true, and Norwegians one of the world's most traveling nations. At the same time, climate conscience has never been a factor in travel planning for Norwegian travelers. In step with the clearer seriousness of the climate crisis, Norwegians have increased their travel frequency and made their journeys longer. Weekend trips to the cottage and family have become long weekends in Berlin and Riga, while the Christmas holidays are celebrated in Thailand. The establishment of the Norwegian low-cost company Norwegian is partly to blame. On the airline's website, there are currently offers for airline tickets for NOK 199 one way, while "sun and bath" is only NOK 399 away. It is less than a Norwegian train ticket, or a medium-long high-speed boat trip, and considerably more than when in the 1990s one had to make deep inroads into the private economy to pay for the plane tickets. "We should consider a ban on advertising for flights," says leader of Framtiden in our hands, Arild Hermstad, to Ny Tid. But first to the figures: Since 1990, emissions from foreign aviation have increased by as much as 333 per cent, figures from Statistics Norway show. It is as if Norwegians have become blind to the connection between travel habits and greenhouse gas emissions. Or perhaps the argument for aircraft since 1952 that the companies and Avinor that flights are becoming more and more climate-friendly, has convinced northerners ready to travel. Avinor explains it to Ny Tid as follows: “Several of our largest airports work with ambitious climate goals, and have linked up with binding European programs to reduce climate emissions. This entails, among other things, extensive documentation of the emissions – which in turn forms the basis for measures. " But the latest figures from Statistics Norway also show that greenhouse gas emissions from foreign aviation increased by 28 per cent from 2012 to 2013. A survey by the travel search engine Momondo showed in 2014 that 29 per cent of all Norwegians had been on private flights more than five times in recent years. 12 months. The same number among Swedes was seven percent. «We travel both during the main holiday, during other holidays and long weekends. It has become part of the Norwegian lifestyle relatively detached from social group and status, "says tourism director at Virke Utland, Rolf Forsdahl, to VG about the figures.
Several long flight routes. Domestic emissions from aviation are also increasing. While Avinor and the airlines say they are working hard to reduce emissions, the figures say that domestic emissions figures have increased from 1,3 to 1,4 million tonnes since 2012, ie about a 7 percent increase. Looking further back in time, until 1990 the increase in emissions was 40 percent. From 2013 to 2014, the number of air passengers increased by one million. "We are working purposefully to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aviation – together with the airlines. The most important contributions so far have been made by aircraft manufacturers by developing significantly more energy-efficient engines ", says press manager at Avinor, Sindre Ånonsen, to Ny Tid. But Avinor is also pleased with the increased air traffic. In Bergen, the narrow airport will be 66 square meters larger. At Gardermoen, NOK 000 billion will be spent until the opening of a new terminal at the end of April 11,4. The discussion about a new airport in Bodø has long since begun, and at Vigra in Ålesund, a new building of 2017 square meters will soon be completed.
«If you buy a car, the car dealer is obliged to state how much it pollutes. There is no such arrangement when booking airline tickets. ” Arild Hermstad
And politicians are facilitating more aviation use. Last summer, the government repealed the cumbersome rule on new check-in at Gardermoen for foreign passengers. NHO Luftfart believes that this rule change alone will be able to «increase revenues by NOK 1,8 billion annually as a result of new routes and more passengers. Net revenues at airports are also expected to increase by NOK 200 million a year. " "Gardermoen will to a greater extent be a hub on a par with Heathrow and Schiphol. This will make it easier for Norwegian airlines to set up intercontinental routes from Gardermoen, »said director of NHO Luftfart Torbjørn Lothe to Bergens Tidende. And these intercontinental routes have long since become increasingly popular. The latest travel habits survey by Statistics Norway states that the proportion of Norwegians who choose to fly on long holiday trips has increased from 19 per cent in 2009 to 28 per cent in 2013/14. Only a serious economic downturn and a change in the krone exchange rate may appear to change this growth. Challenges Avinor. But is it possible to stop growth without hoping for Norwegian downturns and unemployment? Yes, the Future means in our hands and Arild Hermstad. He believes politicians need to start talking about the fact that flights are still harmful to the environment. "There is an enormous social pressure on Norwegians to travel a lot. Weekend trips to Portugal have become the new norm. Historically, air traffic has experienced formidable growth. It has gone extremely fast, and people travel often and far and talk about their travels. This affects people, "says Hermstad. "Have people become blind to this growth?" 'Yes, people have become very blind. But one of the reasons for the blindness is that the authorities do not talk about flights as climate-hostile. As long as no restrictive measures are introduced against the aviation sector, people perceive that it is ok to continue traveling. We need a political and cultural upheaval. " Hermstad therefore believes that there should be a clear climate policy that can reduce the frequency of travel. The future in our hands believes that regulations on air traffic should be introduced. "A climate tax should be introduced for foreign travel. Today, there are no special fees for this. In addition, the authorities must remove the tax-free scheme that contributes to low air fares and rewards those with high emissions. " In addition, Hermstad believes it is possible to limit the developments at the airports. «Avinor and the aviation industry are responsible for a large-scale development of Norwegian airports. A limit must be set for the development of these. " "And then an advertising ban?" “Yes, we actually think advertising for long flights should be banned. It affects us something completely insane, and is completely unnecessary. " Avinor, for its part, believes that they are working hard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the sector. They also point out that aviation is an important contributor to employment in Norway. More than 60 jobs, just over 000 per cent of Norwegian jobs, are linked to aviation. Press manager Sindre Ånonsen believes that this specific tax proposal from Framtiden in our hands will have serious consequences for Norwegian society: «Aviation is an engine in the Norwegian economy and prosperity development, and a tightening of taxes will have consequences not only for aviation – but for society as a whole. Avinor and the industry want room for maneuver to continue working with innovation and development to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aviation – not regulations that will have high costs for society. " Invisible aircraft emissions. Another tool could be to make airlines obliged to report CO2 emissions associated with all flights. «If you buy a car, the car dealer is obliged to state how much it pollutes. There is no such arrangement when booking airline tickets. Thus, the footprint of the air passengers becomes invisible, "Hermstad points out. And with this invisible climate emission, the climate argument also becomes difficult to come up with if you say no to holiday trips. This applies even to climate-conscious citizens. Greenhouse gas emissions are not only invisible to consumers. International flights are also invisible in national climate budgets. Emissions from foreign air traffic are not included in the national emission obligations, and there are therefore few incentives to do anything to limit these emissions. The Norwegian Environment Agency can confirm that this is true. "Emissions from international aviation are reported separately based on sales of fuel in the countries and do not count in any countries' emissions accounts," says climate information adviser Kjersti Dørumsgard Moxness in an email to Ny Tid. According to Moxness, it has occasionally been discussed whether emissions from international aviation should be included in some countries' total emission figures. The fact that aviation is a distinctly global industry makes this difficult. "Technically, it is feasible to allocate emissions to countries, but this will allow for circumvention and carbon leakage if the obligations only apply to some countries," says Moxness. There may be good reasons not to include travel abroad in the carbon budget, but CO2 pollution is still the same. For many, air travel is impossible to avoid, especially at work, while for others it is the lack of alternative travel routes that makes it difficult not to fly. A light rail line that could connect Oslo to Europe is still decades ahead, if it comes at all. The Oslo – Gothenburg section could take a little over an hour with today's light rail technology. Today, the same route takes 3 hours and 38 minutes, according to NSB's route plans. Norwegian alternatives to flights to Europe are thus few. Maybe it's time to settle with this globetrotter culture? Short-haul solution. Hermstad in The Future in Our Hands admits that he himself takes a plane, but that he tries to limit it as much as possible. He highlights the British author and environmental activist Tristram Stuart, who is best known for his work against food waste. Stuart won the Sofie Prize in 2011 for his food activism, but has also been noted for his self-imposed flight ban. "What Stuart is doing is seen as extreme at the moment, but perhaps it should be normalized to make such a choice," says Hermstad. But do we really have to travel? And do we have to travel that far? And the experiences get stronger the longer and more often we travel? Maybe it's time to settle with this globetrotter culture? It may be time to rediscover their own neighborhoods. It is cheaper, takes less time, and can be just as exciting. And this is where the British adventurer comes into the picture. The author Alastair Humphreys had traveled through the desert in Saudi Arabia, rowed across the Atlantic and crossed India to find the ultimate adventure – but it is after turning to his own local area and so-called "micro-experiences" that he has received the most attention. He last book Microadventures: Local Discoveries for Great Escapes (William Collins) presents the concept of micro-adventure as "experiences that are close to home, cheap, simple, short, and yet very effective". For Humphreys, it is the outdoor life that is important. He encourages people to use the surrounding areas in a new way, sleep in the open air, swim in the sea or go for a walk to a place you have not been before. "The experiences are everywhere, every day, and it is up to us to find them," the book states. For Humphreys, it is not the climate-friendly that is at the center. For him, it is first and foremost the discovery that adventurous experiences, which can change you, are not far away. To the New York Times, the Briton says he hears stories from readers who have been motivated. About "fathers and sons who find each other, and overworked men who sleep on top of a hill". And in social media, the subject matter has micro adventures gone hot a long time ago. "Sleeping on a hill does not change your life, but it can be a small step towards change." And if you take this trend into the climate debate and the Norwegian globetrotter reality, it can lead to green change. And when Ny Tid gets in touch to ask if there are any green thoughts behind his project, the email is automatically answered: "I'm on my way to the Scottish Highlands for a few mountain days. I'm back April 15th. If it's urgent – wait. " Ecotourism.About 45 minutes from Bergen city center is the car-free island of Ypsøy. Among sheep, orchards, heather moors, cultural landscapes and the sea, fjords and mountains, Vigleik and Monica Ypsøy have established themselves as an experience center for travelers from both the surrounding areas and the rest of the world. "We do not think so much about being short-haul. We get visits from people all over the world. We have more focus on the tourism industry being environmentally friendly and that any income being used to strengthen the natural and cultural landscape values. We are very aware that we want to offer a green travel alternative, "says Vigleik Ypsøy to Ny Tid. He believes that many Norwegians often have the wrong perspectives when choosing a holiday. "Norwegians in general have their holiday focus too much on the sun, cheap food and drink and an ego mindset," says Ypsøy. Arild Hermstad does not think the travel trend will change immediately. "We like to run campaigns about this, but the point is that no one makes money from me taking a trip to Nordmarka and lying down in the open air." However, he sees an opposite trend. "This with micro-experiences is a very cool trend, but unfortunately we see in Norway that this is on the wane, and that people spend less time out in their immediate areas." Hermstad points out that there are good projects about ecotourism and local experiences, and highlights, among other things, Friluftslivets år 2015. But, he points out, again it is not the environment and climate that will be the main argument for this investment – it is not promoted as an alternative to long flights, but comes in addition. The argument is often that Norwegian tourism creates jobs, economic growth and personal health effects. "If you come up with the climate argument, it is almost perceived as counterproductive. Then there is even talk of sacrificing something, "he concludes. Dreams Ice. But maybe we need to sacrifice something? Perhaps the dreams that arise in what we see on the world map must remain just dreams. Or maybe it has to be with one long journey to that country on the other side of the globe. Perhaps the world map can be replaced by the county map and the municipal map, and one can discover that there are actually places very close to us where we have not been, and which can be discovered. Feel free to bring a sleeping bag and sleep in the open air.
