Cambridge IELTS 20 Task 2: Flying Less- Are the Environmental Benefits Worth the Disadvantages?
Some people have decided to reduce the number of times they fly every year or to stop flying altogether.
Do you think the environmental benefits of this development outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses?
Band 7 Sample Answer:
Rising environmental pollution requires immediate attention due to which some people have considered reducing their frequency of air travel or avoiding it completely. Even though this trend would be beneficial for the environment, it would also cause problems for people and businesses. In my opinion, the disadvantages for individuals and organizations would be far greater than the positive effects on the environment.
On the one hand, a decision to fly less would cause great inconvenience to people who either travel for work or leisure. As an alternative, they would have to rely on other modes of transport, such as long-distance trains, which can be far less-convenient. For instance, a weekly boarder studying in Delhi University, who frequently travels to his home in Chandigarh would need to spend several additional hours on the road if he chose to avoid flights. Moreover, increased travel time for working professionals could have an adverse impact on their productivity, as they may reach meetings exhausted. This could affect their overall efficiency, ultimately costing heavily for the enterprises.
On the other hand, reduction in flight frequency also has some advantages for the environment. Aviation is considered to be a growing contributor to global warming, so even small declines would decrease the greenhouse gases and improve air quality, thereby slowing the pace of climate change. Studies during the pandemic indicated that air quality had improved during the lockdown, especially when flights between some of the major cities were halted. However, this improvement occurred because all the modes of transport were restricted. If commuters simply shift to alternative methods, such as cars and buses, overall emissions may rise again.
To conclude, limiting or eliminating air travel is practically not viable, and if the trend is widely adopted, it would have negative implications for people and organizations, which certainly outweigh the modest environmental gains.
