The paradox of travel: Learning to love the earth while destroying it

DARIA FARMAN-FARMAIAN: I’ve been trying really hard to reconcile the love I find in seeing the world, and the damage I know that it inflicts. I’ve discovered that I can’t. 

Planes, cars, trains, and boats all harm the Earth because of the amount of greenhouse gasses they emit. And yet, there has been a two-fold increase in airline passengers worldwide since 2003 alone. Even with this understanding, after I graduated from highschool in 2018, I deferred my enrollment at Georgetown for a year and embarked on a series of global adventures. 

I consider myself to be a climate activist and care deeply about the earth’s health. But, like millions of others, I did not stop traveling until it was virtually illegal under COVID-19 restrictions. Is this wrong? 

Data concludes that the average American greenhouse gas emissions created by the cause the suffering and/or death of two people in the future. In quantifying the harm done to the physical planet, one 2,500 mile flight — about the distance covered by a flight from New York to LA — effectively melts away 32 square feet of Arctic ice. 

The damage that travel has on the environment is more evident today than ever, as shelter-in-place restrictions have kept people at home. Air pollution levels are at a shocking low, largely because people are severely limited in their travels. With more people working from home, we are discovering how effective online platforms like Zoom can be. As we move out of this global pandemic, we must consciously reform our travel habits. 

Even so, I do not regret my gap year. Beyond the cultural currency I gained, I got to see ice blocks melt from the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina and the temperatures change from hot to freezing as I climbed up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Seeing and understanding these ecological wonders for myself gave me a personal connection to the problem of climate change which otherwise could seem out of reach. 

Whether visiting a neighboring town, a state a thousand miles away, or an island across the ocean, travel helps us appreciate our beautiful earth even more and can inspire lifestyle changes in home communities to protect it. Understanding the beauty of our planet is integral in the fight to protect it. 

But, how do we come to terms with the fact that airplane emissions of carbon dioxide will triple by 2050? It is firstly important to note that air travel accounts for only about 2.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, a small fraction compared to the emissions produced from passenger cars and industrial power plants. 

However, if — like myself — people are rushing to book plane tickets to escape American reality or simply visit loved ones across the country after the pandemic, data shows that aviation emissions could end up taking up a quarter of the world’s “carbon budget.”

I cannot reconcile my travel with the harm it will create but considering the essential role of travel in modern lifestyles and on the economy, and the ability to purchase carbon offsets, it is both necessary and possible to travel responsibly post-pandemic.  

Carbon offsets are a tool through which individuals and organizations can balance the impact of their carbon footprints. They work to sequester greenhouse gases that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.

These offsets are commonly bought in less developed countries where more land can be used to capture greenhouse gases. They can work to reduce injustice if they are invested properly to improve the lives of those most at risk. This can include forest restoration, renewable energy infrastructure or more efficient cook stoves. In this way, they protect more individuals and work to sequester the greenhouse gases that would otherwise cause the suffering of future generations.

Whether or not people decide to travel responsibly by buying carbon offsets, it is still important to acknowledge that travel is morally complicated. When addressing climate change we all face a moral storm about adjusting our behaviors and sacrificing for future individuals. 

As a young adult curious about the world and what it has to offer, I am not ready to give up travel completely. I love meeting new people, interacting with different cultures, and connecting with the natural world beyond central park in my hometown of New York City. So for now, I will commit to buying carbon offsets and fighting against climate change in other aspects of my life because I know that seeing the world is an important part of protecting it. 

Daria Farman-Farmaian is a sophomore in Georgetown's School of Foreign Service from New York City. She is interested in global issues surrounding gender, climate change, human development and democracy.