“Flygskam”, the rival of aviation

In Sweden, the number of people who, in order not to contribute to air pollution, choose alternative means of transportation, such as traveling by train has grown.

This is because of the “Flygskam” movement, which goes hand in hand with Greta Thunberg, the Swedish activist who decided not to travel by plane again due to the impact on climate change.

This movement speaks of the shame of people for flying because of the polluting gases produced by using an airplane to transport. The intention of the “Flygskam” is to raise awareness among each passenger, so as not to fly and, as a substitute, to use alternative means of transport that help reduce the carbon footprint.

Following these steps, they have developed concepts such as “Tagskyrt” which means “pride of traveling by train”, being a trend on Twitter with the hashtag #StayOnTheGround (remains on the ground).

Although Flygskam originated in Sweden, it has generated a great impact on society. Not only has it expanded throughout the country causing air passengers to have dropped significantly, but it has also reflected growth in countries such as France and the Netherlands, who proposed to suppress internal flights equivalent to three hours of train travel. Even several governments have proposed fiscal measures and special taxes to reduce the amount of daily flights.

In fact, the Swedish airline SAS reported a 5% drop in air traffic in Sweden, while the SJ train company registered a record number of passengers.

In Germany, for example, this movement has coined its own term, using “Flugscham” to refer to the shame of flying. In the Netherlands, it’s called “Vliegschaamte” and in Finland they also use their own term to refer to the Flygskam: “Lentohapea”.

This movement worries the aviation industry, knowing that if an answer that contemplates environmental sustainability is not offered, the number of people who join the cause of Flygskam and stop flying by plane will be increasing.

For now, the possibility of suspending or banning flights within some countries is being considered, since there is the possibility of traveling in another type of transport. But as for connections between distant countries, no proposal has yet been submitted for travel, and that does not merit too much budget and is achieved in a short term.

Would you be willing to stop flying by plane, to venture into another type of transport that does not emit polluting gases and thus contribute to the environment? Leave us your comments.