Jet Travel and Desert

Jet aircraft produce large quantities of greenhouse gases when in operation, so one way for an agent to reduce her individual greenhouse gas emissions is by reducing the extent to which she flies. Some groups have encouraged agents to give up on flying for life by committing to a “travel pledge”. I...

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Main Author: Sean Clancy
Format: Article
Language:Danish
Published: Norwegian University of Science and Technology Library 2024-11-01
Series:Etikk i Praksis: Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics
Online Access:https://www.ntnu.no/ojs/index.php/etikk_i_praksis/article/view/5914
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author Sean Clancy
author_facet Sean Clancy
author_sort Sean Clancy
collection DOAJ
description Jet aircraft produce large quantities of greenhouse gases when in operation, so one way for an agent to reduce her individual greenhouse gas emissions is by reducing the extent to which she flies. Some groups have encouraged agents to give up on flying for life by committing to a “travel pledge”. I argue here that, for many agents, it is morally impermissible to commit to a lifelong travel pledge, because in doing so, they would prevent themselves from receiving what they deserve. Most agents who commit to such a pledge exercise a great deal of virtue, and therefore deserve to have their lives go better, while also making a significant sacrifice, thus ensuring that their lives go worse. Because a single person’s travel pledge cannot make a significant difference to the progress of climate change, the morally desirable effects of such a pledge are outweighed by the morally undesirable effects on desert.  Keywords: climate change; flight; travel; desert; altruism
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 1890-3991
1890-4009
language Danish
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher Norwegian University of Science and Technology Library
record_format Article
series Etikk i Praksis: Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics
spelling doaj-art-341783f6596245109d8a3e9e4f7892792025-01-10T09:25:29ZdanNorwegian University of Science and Technology LibraryEtikk i Praksis: Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics1890-39911890-40092024-11-01182Jet Travel and DesertSean Clancy0East China Normal University Jet aircraft produce large quantities of greenhouse gases when in operation, so one way for an agent to reduce her individual greenhouse gas emissions is by reducing the extent to which she flies. Some groups have encouraged agents to give up on flying for life by committing to a “travel pledge”. I argue here that, for many agents, it is morally impermissible to commit to a lifelong travel pledge, because in doing so, they would prevent themselves from receiving what they deserve. Most agents who commit to such a pledge exercise a great deal of virtue, and therefore deserve to have their lives go better, while also making a significant sacrifice, thus ensuring that their lives go worse. Because a single person’s travel pledge cannot make a significant difference to the progress of climate change, the morally desirable effects of such a pledge are outweighed by the morally undesirable effects on desert.  Keywords: climate change; flight; travel; desert; altruism https://www.ntnu.no/ojs/index.php/etikk_i_praksis/article/view/5914
spellingShingle Sean Clancy
Jet Travel and Desert
Etikk i Praksis: Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics
title Jet Travel and Desert
title_full Jet Travel and Desert
title_fullStr Jet Travel and Desert
title_full_unstemmed Jet Travel and Desert
title_short Jet Travel and Desert
title_sort jet travel and desert
url https://www.ntnu.no/ojs/index.php/etikk_i_praksis/article/view/5914
work_keys_str_mv AT seanclancy jettravelanddesert