The climate hypocrite chronicles #2: flying
[Updated March 2024]
In 2024 I will take a return flight for running, my second boarding pass in five years.
Naturally this will make me a raging hypocrite to keyboard commandos quick to press the whataboutery button. I don’t care about them, but I do care about having a reasonable discussion with the many people who share this pressing, very zeitgeisty dilemma.
Lots and lots of people are concerned about our climate and ecological emergency. But many of them still eat meat, drive ICE cars or occasionally get on planes. Heck, some of them even have children or pets, the selfish effing scumbags.
Athletes conscious of our climate and ecological emergency are also in an uncomfortable paradox. By definition, international sport necessitates travel, which usually means the burning of fossil fuels and therefore contributes to climate breakdown, especially if flights are involved, the most carbon-intensive action an individual can do. So if we care about the right things, should we therefore give up all our ambitions, our careers, and our family holiday plans?
To me, and I think most people, that probably seems extreme and frankly unfair. But could most of us do things better? Probably. “We have to fly less,” says How Bad Are Bananas? author, Prof Mike Berners-Lee. “It doesn’t have to be nothing, but we have to fly only for really really good reasons.”
When Our Carbon first analysed my family’s CO2e footprint in 2019 (figures no longer online, 2020 figures here), my flying was the biggest chunk by some margin (around 6 tonnes CO2e, out of 16). I used to average three flights a year for running, but when I saw the impact spelled out in front of me, I didn’t fly for three years (2020-22).
I turned down (get the violins out...) free trips to Nepal, Bhutan, Mexico, Kenya, Oman, Japan and other exciting races I would previously have said yes to. I made a list of big races/challenges that really matter to me and scratched off several prestigious, very appealing events that didn't quite feel worth the emissions, such as Diagonal de Fous, Western States and Hardrock.
On my bucket list I was left with two big ones I really want to do that would likely involve flights, because low-carbon travel is simply impractical. In 2023 I flew to Tennessee, USA, for The Barkley Marathons, a really special, unique race at the top of my list, which I’d been trying to get into for three years.
The decision involved considerable angst and guilt. It’s not perfect. But I think two flights for running in five years is reasonable, especially as running is how I support my family. My footprint averages 7-8 tonnes CO2e/year, compared to the UK average of 12.9 tonnes. I'm comfortably within Kilian Jornet's Outdoor Friendly Pledge of 3 tonnes/year for travel.
I’ve made several lifestyle and sporting sacrifices. But I don't think I should have to sacrifice ALL my running dreams or essentially retire myself from elite competition quite yet. At 48 the window for when I can do these things is closing in my fugly face. I think significantly reducing and prioritising what I’m prepared to fly for, and to pledge to fly once a year maximum, ideally less, is a reasonable response for an elite sportsperson – or a recreational runner, or a non-runner, for that matter.
Individuals who fly once a year, perhaps for a family holiday, are not the problem here. Let’s remember that 1% of people take 50% of flights and a private jet takes off every six minutes. They are the problem, along with an industry slow to decarbonise and not shy to take ghost flights. Though that almost sounds like whataboutery.
I’ve made all the personal footprint reductions I reasonably can, the big ones being: switching to a renewable energy supplier, switching banks from Barclays to Triodos, eating a vegan diet, significantly reducing flying, when I do drive it’s usually in an EV, being a more ethical brand ambassador/taking less new kit and making it last longer.
Let’s not forget it was a PR firm working for BP who conceived the concept of individual carbon footprints. They want us to concentrate on ourselves rather than the epic damage they’re doing. We will have much more impact by pushing for system change.
This is a vague concept and may seem daunting. It might mean emailing your MP, joining in Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil protests on the streets, funding those groups and similar ones. Personally that’s also been co-founding The Green Runners (TGR), writing a book about it all (which won’t make me any money and was frankly exhausting), speaking up/being annoying about it in interviews, talks and on social media, using record-attempts and race results to publicise the cause, nudging inov-8 and other sponsors.
‘How can I exert my influence in every other way that’s possible?’ is more important than your individual carbon footprint, says Berners-Lee.
“Climate action doesn’t need a few more saints”, echoes Trail Runner magazine’s editor in chief, the erudite Zoë Rom.
The concept of a person’s carbon shadow being more important than their individual footprint is a powerful one. Indeed, after the Barkley Marathons, where TGR co-founder Jasmin Paris recorded the best ever performance by a female athlete, the group got a significant spike in memberships (including reaching Canada) and social media following. Between us, we did in the region of 40 post-event interviews, including BBC Radio 5 Live, where TGR or climate breakdown were mentioned most times (I try to remember to request the topic is included, pre-interview).
For the record, I’ve stopped offsetting my travel with carbon credits, on advice from Berners-Lee and instead now think of something I can do to nudge for system change, like join in protests, other campaigns or email my MP. Also a friend who flies frequently for work, has promised not to take a flight, to ‘offset’ my trip to Tennessee. I’m not sure how well that stacks up, but it’s a nice gesture, thank you. In 2023 I joined in two days of protesting in London as part of April’s The Big One, to offset my flight, and this year I will devote two days towards similar climate work.
In summary, hopefully it’s clear I care. I feel like I do all I realistically can. My footprint is smaller than most people’s. But while that’s important to a degree, I don’t think it’s the most important thing. This stuff is just too urgent and too important to wait till we can do things perfectly. Our house is on fire. We need to act now. And when acting, collective action is more important than individual action.
That's the long version of saying, I'm a climate hypocrite. But we all are. It feels important to show imperfect activism. Because that’s all we can do.
Just finally, for potential travel now, I ask myself:
1. How important is the event, really?
2. What's the lowest-carbon way I can feasibly travel there? (Thankfully most European races are reachable via public transport, the way I’ve gone to UTMB, Tor des Géants, et al, usually about a quarter of the CO2e of a flight.)
3. How can I maximise the trip? (Can I stay longer and/or do more there, can I combine it with any work or visit a friend?)