Online opinion leaders are now trying to get us there through social pressure – to cultivate a kind of flight shame. But the risk is that it might instead lead to ”sneaking”.

On Instagram, the account "Unwitting Influencers" is currently creating a heated and sometimes infected debate. Famous people's air travel is criticized in quite harsh terms. The account has gained almost 60,000 followers in a short time.

The people behind the account do not want to appear publicly. They have tried to pursue their issues openly before, but have been met with blocks and hate comments, they write to TT. Now they want to test whether a direct appeal to well-known influencers is more effective.

For example, they select a named person who has shown off their travels on social media, and state the carbon emissions for each trip, with the question ”sustainable lifestyle communication?” If they don’t post anything from the next long trip, they also write to other named people who have shown off their vacation photos publicly.

It should no longer be a matter of high social status to show that you fly far, they believe. "The feeling of flight shame itself is not something we attach importance to, as it will not save the climate if we continue to fly anyway," the people behind the account write to TT. However, they believe that social pressure can speed up the change.

Shame is a fundamental emotion, and one of our strongest, explains Frida Hylander, a licensed psychologist who runs the online platform Klimatpsykologerna.

”"Shame has the function of making us adapt to the group. It is a regulator of social rules," she says.

It makes us feel bad, and sometimes shame can turn into anger.

”That could be for groups that are very invested in flying, like many influencers are. They might be sponsored by companies to showcase their travels. Then it’s a very big step to stop flying.”

Shame sometimes makes us change our behavior, but it doesn't always mean we'll adapt, she explains. It can also make us do things in secret — if flying becomes shameful, it can make us "stealth" instead.

Emissions from aviation must be reduced if we are to reach the two-degree target for global warming, explains Jörgen Larsson, a researcher specializing in aviation and sustainable consumption at Chalmers in Gothenburg. He has studied how Swedes' flying and climate impact have developed.

”"How much Swedes' aviation emissions need to be reduced depends on how quickly emissions from other areas are reduced. There is much evidence that our aviation emissions need to be reduced by at least half by 2050."”

Of course, many hope that technology will develop towards fuels that produce lower emissions, but if that is the case, it must happen very quickly, according to Jörgen Larsson.

At the tour operator Vingresor, press communicator Barbro Holmberg says that this issue of flight shame and climate impact is a big issue.

”"We haven't investigated airline shame. But we think that if you choose to travel by air, you should read up and find out which airlines have the least impact," she says.

Psychologist Frida Hylander agrees with Jörgen Larsson that we need to stop flying to the extent we do now. But she doesn't think shame and guilt are particularly effective as a method unless we find ways to move on from the shame and guilt. We need to find other meaningful activities and sustainable ways to travel.

”Living in guilt and shame is not sustainable in the long term,” she says.

Jörgen Larsson doesn't believe much in flight shame either.

”"The most important thing must be political instruments. Climate anxiety and flight shame can make the whole climate issue negative and boring, and just about giving up flying."”

Both he and Frida Hylander believe that other, positive, alternatives are needed for our holiday trips. For example, train travel or attractive, closer destinations.

At the same time, we must allow ourselves to grieve the long flights that we will no longer be able to afford, explains Frida Hylander.

”"We have to admit that it's hard not to fly anymore. It's given us a lot to be able to travel the way we have," she says.

Source:TT-di.se