It’s no secret that modern life is having a harmful impact on our planet. As the world becomes more globalized, the increase in air travel is one of the major contributors to humanity's carbon footprint; now, it seems there's a Swedish word aimed at discouraging unnecessary air travel. It's called "flygskam," which means "flying humiliation" in Swedish. The flygskam movement is gaining traction across Europe as air travel is the most polluting mode of transport, according to a study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology . Known as one of the greenest countries in the world, Sweden is a leader in humiliation flights. There's even a Flygskam Instagram account with nearly 17,000 followers.
France24 reports that a Swedish Instagram account dubbed "Aningslösa Influencer" (literally meaning ignorant influencer) "has been shaming social media profiles and influencers for promoting trips to far-flung destinations, attracting more than 60,000 followers Fans." Instead of flying, Flygskam's philosophy is to promote the option of traveling by train to avoid increasing your carbon footprint - and it does this by shaming anyone who travels by air.
France24 quoted Viktoria Hellstrom, a 27-year-old political science student in Stockholm, as saying: "I'm certainly influenced by my surroundings and (flight stigma) affects my view of flying." Flygskam, however, did not Preventing Hellstrom from meeting friends in Italy—her trip just took longer. “The only way I could justify getting there was by train.”
Those who fly also reportedly engage in tagkryt, which means "train bragging" - literally bragging about taking a train instead of flying. While Flygskam and tagkryt are rampant in Europe, they haven't really caught on in the U.S. yet — though, with the rise of Instagram influencers like "Aningslösa Influencers," that may change when the U.S. summer travel season gets into full swing . USA
The negative impact of air travel on the environment will undoubtedly require the investment of time, money and research into greener travel solutions. For example, if you're traveling from the United States to Europe, you always have the option of taking a boat as you did before, and then taking a train when you arrive.
However, if you're about to do some air travel and you're feeling the discomfort of flying, you can make an impact on the environment by working to reduce your carbon footprint in other ways.
The Carbon Offsets Poverty Alleviation website provides more than two dozen detailed ways to reduce negative impacts on the environment. From carpooling and making sure tires are properly inflated, to improving home energy efficiency and watching what you eat, there's plenty everyone can do to help make the future greener. Because if we continue on our current path, all the things we count on to make life easier and more enjoyable will eventually get us into trouble. Is this irony?
