Voar de avião prejudica necessariamente o ambiente?

Greta, It’s OK to Fly, por Tyler Cowen (Bloomberg):

Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, recently announced that she will cross the Atlantic Ocean by boat to attend a United Nations global warming summit in New York. She does not believe in flying in airplanes, for the obvious reason that air travel is a contributor to the carbon emissions problem.

I am here with a simple message: Greta, it is OK to fly. Indeed, I encourage you to fly. (...)

But flying isn’t the worst offender when it comes to sources of carbon emissions. Some critics suggest flying accounts for 5% of the world’s carbon emissions, but most estimates put aviation’s share at closer to 2%. Whatever the exact number may be, it is hardly the major problem. (...)

If that isn’t enough for Thunberg, she could ask the airline to let her fly only if there are extra seats on the flight.  (...)

Or think more broadly about how to choose one’s symbolic commitments to combat climate change. Buying a carbon offset, verifiable by an independent third party, seems like a good practical step.

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