Looking to the future - Fewer flights
Cleaner connectivity
The WMCA carbon budget does not include aviation. Nonetheless, it is useful to reflect on the tension between staying connected to the world around us and our climate change obligations. Globally, emissions from aviation can only grow by 25% if the sector is to deliver on the Paris Agreement – a challenge, given that most of the world’s population does not fly.
Facing this issue is likely to involve the following:
- Collective investment in international rail.
- Collective investment in low carbon flight.
- Frequent flyer levy: everyone gets one tax free return flight per year with a sliding levy scale for each subsequent flight. All returns to be invested into sustainable alternatives.
We will ensure that food is local, seasonal and with more plant-based options
We will create a region where it is easy to eat good food without adding to climate breakdown. This means eating meat like beef and lamb more sparingly and eating more seasonal food to ensure low food mileage and low production costs. Per person emissions associated with food are falling.