Local train between Turcin and Sveti Ilija
The rise of sustainable travel, focusing on reducing our carbon footprint, brought about the concept of “flight shame.” A derivative of flight shame, flyskam, individuals, concerned about the per-person CO2 emission, came up with a better alternative, ‘tågskryt’. They are composed of the Swedish words ‘Tåg’, translated to train, and’skryta’, translated to brag. This neologism holds deep emotional values for the participants, who take pride in riding the train as a commute, vacation transport, and, above all, a CO2 emitter.
This term refers to the feeling of guilt people experience when they choose to fly because of airplanes’ negative impact on the environment. “Tagskryt” emphasizes the benefits and sense of accomplishment that come with selecting trains over airplanes, supporting the notion that choosing the train is a noble and responsible way to lessen one’s impact on the environment. This phrase, along with “flygskam,” has grown more popular in Sweden and other nations as people start to realize the impact their travel decisions have on the environment.
People are choosing trains over flights as a way to fight global warming and control their carbon emissions. However, flights are the best alternatives for people who opt for and require less time-consuming commutes. Standing at a reputation of 2%, contributing approximately 80 million tons of CO2—of the global carbon emitters from aviation alone—the question arises: Can climate be a scapegoat for our “precious” time?
18 airlines ranked best to worst for carbon emissions
Guess Where the Movement Started From?
In 2018, Greta Thunberg, a Swedish schoolgirl, gained global attention for her school strike for climate outside the Swedish Parliament. This sparked a global climate change movement, inspiring students worldwide for Fridays for the Future, a youth-led organized strike against climate change. Thunberg repeatedly highlights individual responsibility for emissions as a key aspect of her campaigns. She states in her United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP) in Katowice, Poland,
“The bigger your carbon footprint, the bigger your moral duty.”
Even more from her words, Thunberg introduced the idea of low carbon emissions through her actions: her transatlantic crossing in 2019 via racing yacht Malizia II to attend a climate conference in New York.
U.N. Climate Action Summit in New York City.
While Thunberg popularized the concept of carbon-emission awareness globally, some celebrities in Sweden had started a practice of slow traveling, in essence through trains, buses, any road, or water transport.
As an initiator, Staffan Lindberg, a Swedish political scientist, publicly announced his decision to cut back on flight consumption in his article. This was followed by Malena Ernman, opera singer and mother of Greta Thunberg, who also publicly announced that she would stop flying and choose to slow-travel.
Celebrities, regardless of their career background, possess the power to influence a mass or crowd, even with just their statements. These words and actions, from other Swedish celebrities as well, influenced a majority of Swedish citizens and youths to choose train travel.
The concept of tågskryt spurred through social media encouraging people to travel by train—by posting reviews on train travel, picturesque sceneries captured in lenses from the seats of a train, travel tips, and other information needed for a safe and comfortable train trip using the hashtag #tågskryt.
While the number of participants in tågskryt is uncertain, Sweden has witnessed a rise in rail travel starting from around 2016–17 and a decrease in flights. The BBC cites reports from Swedavia, which runs Sweden’s airports—the number of the busiest airports fell by 8% from January to April 2019, further mentioning that the Chief Executive of the Scandinavian Airlines System blames the movement for flight reduction.
In some countries, there is significant social pressure regarding flight shame, a notable trend. In 2019, before the pandemic hit, the number of people taking domestic flights in Sweden and Germany decreased by 11% and 12%, respectively, while train travel saw an increase. France has even prohibited flights to destinations reachable by train in under two and a half hours. The pandemic has altered transportation and logistics, but it is uncertain how the competition between different modes of transport will ultimately play out.
Air traffic comparison in Europe before and during the pandemic.
How Has Riding the Train Made Any Impact?!
There are substantial environmental advantages to taking trains rather than planes. In comparison to flights, trains produce up to 90% less CO2 per passenger kilometer, according to a report by the European Environment Agency. This striking contrast highlights the influence that personal decisions can have on lowering carbon emissions.
The significance of sustainable travel is also being acknowledged by governments and organizations across the globe. The European Union has set high goals to enhance rail services and infrastructure, increasing the accessibility and effectiveness of train travel. Across Europe, programs like night trains are being reintroduced as an alternative to short-haul flights.
The importance of biofuel is also reflected in other modes of transport as the train above- the French Régiolis also uses biodiesel- highlighting the need for minimizing Carbon footprint.
The increasing popularity of rail travel benefits the environment, as a flight from Paris to Rome emits 206.1 kg of carbon dioxide per passenger, compared to just 8.8 kg for the same journey by train. Rail travel offers a new perspective on transportation, allowing passengers to enjoy the journey, relax, or work while traveling, and conveniently depart from and arrive in city centers. In Spain, the introduction of high-speed rail infrastructure to new competitors has led to the rise of operators like RENFE’s budget line, Avlo, and the French company Ouigo, greatly boosting the availability and diversity of pricing options.
Ongoing years have seen a decrease in the notoriety of night trains, which have become either an extravagance item or a modest choice that implies imparting a carriage to five outsiders. Yet, the market’s dynamic consciousness of maintainability looks set to resuscitate their fortunes.
The epidemic has changed logistics and transportation, but it’s unclear how competition between various transit options will change in the future. Nonetheless, the increased consciousness and evolving perspectives about sustainable travel suggest a long-term change in the way people choose to travel.
Global air travel is predicted to increase by 4%–5% a year, meaning the overall number doubles every 15 years. However, the high-profile campaigns, for example, set by Greta Thunberg, along with the first Swedish celebrities, have pushed the climate crisis up the political agenda.
These campaigns had a snowball effect—more than thousands of tweets with #tågskryt have been posted since the start of the trend where people share their moments on the train; multiple Instagram users shame celebrities for their unnecessary carbon emissions due to their private jets; and such small-scale awareness has been prevailing since tågskryt’s origin.
This is a victory for the protesters, and meanwhile, it is a serious issue for the aviation industry. The airline industry is hit the hardest by this movement, given its sole motive of reducing flight travel.
A study was conducted by UBS (Union Bank of Switzerland) in 2019 among 6,000 respondents from the US, Germany, France, and the UK, which reveals that 21% of them had reduced the number of flights they took over the previous year. The bank said the expected growth in passengers could be halved given the rise in popularity of the movement. Analyzing the reactions from the participants on their changed perception of flight, the bank said this would reduce revenues at Airbus, which controls around 57% of the market, by around €2.8 billion a year.
Where Tågskryt Fails
The intentions behind this movement are valid; however, its application, in a broad sense, around the world seems invalid and unapproachable. The concept fails when the topography, which factors in the transport system of a region or country, and countries with no railway system that rely on heavy-duty vehicles enter into discussion during decision-making for travel.
Aviation makes up for unreachable places by land or sea, transporting passengers through commercial flights, and cargo airliners carrying everything from perishables to fully built cars and livestock.
Topography-Challenged Regions
The oceans and rocks around the town of Ittoqqortoormiit in Greenland are famously risky for any street or water transport. This lovely locale, well-known for its Aurora Borealis and polar bears, must be headed out by helicopter, which flies on more than one occasion per week. Despite the calculated difficulties, the distance of Ittoqqortoormiit helps safeguard its unblemished regular habitat and conventional Inuit culture, offering guests an uncommon look into a lifestyle that has remained generally unaltered for quite a long time.
Ittoqqortoormii, Greenland- rocky topography.
Lukla Air Terminal in Nepal, quite possibly the littlest air terminal on the planet, was built by Sir Edmund Hillary to keep away from accidents that are caused by lengthy journeying days. This air terminal is a passage to the most popular objective for climbing fans, Mt. Everest. Developed in 1964, the air terminal’s superior security as well as altogether diminished the movement time expected to arrive at the Everest headquarters. The foundation of this air terminal saved numerous travelers from the customary journey course to Lukla, which was furious for the doormen and adventurers alike.
It would be impossible for trains to operate in places such as Lukla.
Today, adventurers, as well as mountain sweethearts, can partake in the stunning perspective on Mt. Everest from Buddha Air with their Everest from Plane flights. The air terminal’s area and short runway present novel difficulties for pilots, who require exceptional preparation to guarantee safe arrivals and departures in the sloping territory. This mix of experience and comfort has made Lukla Air Terminal a significant point for both prepared climbers and vacationers, adding to the neighborhood economy and cultivating a more noteworthy appreciation for Nepal’s normal magnificence and social legacy.
Countries That Rely on Road Transport
The air drapes thick with the exhaust in numerous clamoring cities, a huge contributor to the issue of moving not too far off on endless wheels. According to the European Association, behemoth trucks, or trucks alone, shoulder more than 73% of the CO2 outflows from rock-solid vehicles. On a worldwide scale, cargo trucks were liable for about a fourth of all transportation-related CO2 emanations in 2022. While lessening our dependence on uncompromising vehicles is basic, defaming air travel probably won’t be the best arrangement.
Planes contribute only 2% of worldwide fossil fuel byproducts, and for some excursions, they remain the most productive choice. The way to handle environmental change lies in a fair way to deal with transportation. Policymakers around the world, in addition to those in well-off nations, need to focus on a reasonable transportation framework. This can include putting resources into cleaner advancements for uncompromising vehicles, similar to electric or hydrogen trucks.
Redesigning public transportation frameworks with cleaner transport and greater rail organizations can likewise fundamentally diminish outflows. Moreover, innovative work in manageable aeronautics energizes areas of strength in need.
People, as well, can contribute. While boycotting flights by and large could appear to be an honorable signal, taking into account the master plan is significant. Excusing the capability of air travel by and large upsets progress in making practical flying arrangements. The future could see electric or biofuel-fueled planes that essentially diminish their natural effect.
The battle against environmental change requires an essential methodology, not simply evasion. We should track down ways of protecting our planet while embracing development and innovative progress. This is the genuine soul of capable travel. We should not just leap on the “tågskryt” fad, but instead advocate for a future where all types of transportation, from clamoring trains to proficient planes, have a limited ecological impression.
Conclusion: Embracing a Multifaceted Approach to Sustainable Travel
The rising prominence of manageable travel, typified by developments like tågskryt, features the developing mindfulness and obligation to decrease our carbon footprint. The ecological benefits of train travel over air travel are evident, with essentially lower CO2 outflows per traveler per kilometer. Propelled by powerful figures, for example, Greta Thunberg, and upheld by different drives across Europe, the shift towards rail travel is an exemplary move toward the battle against environmental change. Be that as it may, the functional impediments to this development should be perceived.
Areas with testing geologies, such as Ittoqqortoormiit in Greenland and Lukla in Nepal, as well as nations vigorously dependent on street transport, highlight the need for air travel for openness and effectiveness. While decreasing superfluous flights is critical, totally leaving air travel is neither attainable nor down to earth for some areas and purposes. The eventual fate of economic travel lies in a fair and key methodology.
Interests in cleaner advances for all methods of transport, including substantial vehicles and flight, are fundamental. Growing more productive and eco-accommodating public transportation frameworks, combined with progress in supportable avionics and electric planes, can essentially moderate natural effects. As people, pursuing informed travel decisions and supporting maintainable choices can contribute to more extensive foundational changes.
By supporting an assortment of maintainable travel techniques, from trains to creative flying arrangements, we can, all in all, pursue a greener and more dependable future. All in all, while tågskryt addresses an important development in advancing feasible travel, it is essential for a bigger, more complicated puzzle. A definitive objective ought to be to embrace all types of transportation that limit natural impressions, guaranteeing an all-encompassing and comprehensive way to deal with battling environmental change.