Is It Wrong to Fly?
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Provided by: Vox|Published on: April 27, 2021
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This video from Vox examines the ethical considerations of flying, the "flight shaming" movement, and recent innovations in electric plane technology that may enable future alternatives.
- Using a flight emissions calculator and carbon footprint calculations, the hosts of Vox discover how each of our individual actions has an impact on climate change.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Engineering
Authors: Vox
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This video provides an in-depth analysis of the ethics of flying and how individual choices impact the climate.
- The hosts make a somewhat abstract concept easy to understand by helping viewers visualize the connection between the number of flights the hosts are taking and how much Arctic sea ice is melting as a result.
Prerequisites
- Viewers should have basic knowledge of how fossil fuels are contributing to climate change.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Although this video is long and better adapted for high school audiences, middle school audiences can gain a better understanding of how personal choices have direct impacts on climate change by watching the video up until 9:44. After that point, the video shifts to Greta Thunberg's trip to the United States and a test flight in a small electric aircraft.
- Math classes can watch this video and then calculate their own carbon footprint by using the links provided in the video description.
- Students can identify concrete ways to take action against climate change and work to inform the public about what they learned.
- Students can explore this online platform about people quitting flying, this fact sheet about how aviation impacts the climate, and this fact sheet on the aviation industry's greenwashing of electric flight.
It is true that air travel is one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions. This video from Vox explores the data behind this and asks if it is wrong to fly. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
