WE would do well to keep our feet on the ground as the impact of flying is now a serious threat to the climate our grandchildren will endure.

It certainly isn’t helped by the fact that while most developed countries have managed to reduce their general CO2 emissions they have allowed air travel’s output to rise constantly for the last 40 years.

There’s no sign of it reducing, and indeed the average annual six percent increase is still growing and becoming more serious by the day. This is partly because CO2 emissions at high altitudes are at least doubly effective in climate warming terms as at ground level, but it’s mainly because there’s no taxation on aviation fuel.

So these cheap flights for cheap holidays ensure that the number of flights is still increasing leading to global tourism emissions of eight percent, more than the total CO2 from the whole of the construction industry.

The daily number of flights world wide is now well over 100,000 and this gives an annual total of close on 40 million, covering enormous distances to produce significant levels of CO2. It averages at around 150 grams per passenger mile, and a total for each plane of 25 kilos per mile.

It would certainly help reduce the growth of flying if there was an international agreement to introduce fuel taxation and ban outright the Frequent Flyer Programmes which reduce the cost even further.

While the flight CO2 emissions are very similar to those produced by a driver in a four seater car the plane will cover many thousands of miles compared with a couple of hundred in the same time, and it’s this volume of CO2 that must be reduced.

I won’t fly anywhere so it’s no to Florida, but the train to Rome is acceptable.