In February 2019, the growth of the air travel industry seemed boundless. Worldwide passenger air travel had increased 50 per cent in just six years, and large aircraft manufacturers, like Airbus and Boeing, could barely keep up with demand.
Air travel contributed about 2 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and showed no signs of levelling off. So, a group of climate-conscious activists in Britain set-up Flight Free UK, the British arm of a Swedish movement that showed moderate success in getting Swedes to stay on the ground.
Flight Free UK wanted to 100,000 Britons to pledge not to fly in 2020. They say about 6,000 signed up by the end of 2019, among 25,000 worldwide, including some in Canada.