My name is Sara Johansson and I am 44 years old. I have been flight free since May 2015 and will not fly again until there is a sustainable way to do it. Once I understood how extremely harmful aviation is to the climate, it was an obvious decision to make. It does not mean that I no longer travel, but I travel in other ways than before. Travelling by train is a more fun way to travel, and the journey often becomes an adventure in itself!
I choose to be flight free for the sake of my children, for the sake of all our children. Because when they understand what my generation and previous generations have done to create the climate crisis, I want to be able to look them in the eye. I want to be able to say that I did what I could to stop the climate crisis.
I am flight free because I want to be a part of the solution. Since I decided that a sustainable lifestyle is the only way to go, my life has become more meaningful. I have realized that the important things in life are completely different to what consumption and air travel can ever give me.
We humans are not apart from nature. We are part of it. Without nature we would not survive for a single day. We are even part of the water cycle – 65% of our bodies are water. We humans are not as big as we think. We do not have a chance if the average temperature increases much more.
In other parts of the Earth, people are dying because of climate change, partly because of the extreme weather caused by it. Lots of people are fleeing their homes. If we do not act NOW, the future will not be a pleasant place to be.
Refraining from flying is the absolute least I can do. If I do not do this, who will? I urge EVERYONE to sign up for Flight Free 2021. Together we can create a brighter future. Together.
Sara Johansson
Lecturer, Sweden