## 31 Fire and Airplanes

Last week, it was hell in many European countries, especially Spain. The week before, it was hell in the south of France. The reason is always the same: humans, wind, and heat. A person makes a mistake with a cigarette or any other spark, the wind is strong, and the heat is intense. It was more than 40°C/104°F. The reason for this heat is also human-caused climate change due to our activities over the past century. It's always the same, and the same is true in North America, despite Trump and other climate skeptics' claims. The figures don't lie: there are more heat waves each year, more extreme weather events, and more massive and intense fires. We're not even talking about what's happening in India or Pakistan, where there are heat waves, aridity, and desertification at temperatures over 50°C. Everything is happening faster than expected. In France, for the first seven months of the year, we are 2°c higher than before. But one thing is not changing quickly: our behavior.

I saw the air traffic map over Europe these days, and it was business as usual. People are flying to the same destinations around the Mediterranean Sea and farther away. They are happy to have sunshine, but they complain about the heat wave, the lack of water, and the large crowds where they are. Often, these are places they've seen on Instagram where they can take pictures of themselves to post on social networks. I'm not talking about people who use ChatGPT to plan their trips. I don't feel sorry for those people who made choices of the past because nothing has changed. I'm mainly thinking of the residents of these areas who live there year-round and are forced to adapt. Tourism will change. Agriculture is changing a lot. The way we travel and spend our holidays must also change. Air travel is the most polluting mode of transportation, even with projections for changes in propulsion. It's also the most unequal mode of transportation.

Only a small percentage of people can travel by airplane, yet they are responsible for a large amount of pollution. It's the same problem with wealthy countries like ours, but the poorest are the first victims. In France, major fires occurred in the poorest department, symbolizing our behavior. However, I understand that it's difficult for some people to travel back to their homeland every year. They only have three weeks, and they can't spend four days traveling there and back. So, they use cheap airlines. Some of my colleagues did this by car for many years in the '90s and '00s, driving for days to cross several countries. It was exhausting, but it had an air of adventure. Now, they can (and are proud to) take a plane and rent a car in their country. However, this is different from other travelers who take planes for work or tourism. 

I have flown several times in my life: to visit my wife's father in his home country, to visit her family in another country, and to travel to two other countries. I would like to visit at least two more destinations. Is that good for the planet? No, of course not. I do it for pleasure and comfort, and there is no other alternative for at least one of these destinations. Currently, I'm unable to travel for various reasons, so I travel vicariously through documentaries and travel reviews. It's not the same, but it's interesting to learn about the world. I also have a pen pal in another country who is like a goddaughter to me, and she won't be able to take a plane herself. It's too expensive and too far from her home.

So, looking to the future, I ask myself: Do I really need to travel so far? I was fortunate to have traveled extensively and seen some of the world's wonders. I'm luckier than most of humanity. It's selfish to make the world worse just for my own pleasure. Currently, there is no way to compensate for the environmental impact of air travel. Tree planting often leads to monoculture and is often a delusion. I'm still thinking about how I could travel by train again, for example, to go to Normandy. It's not that long or far. Fortunately, there are no fires or heat waves in this region ... at the moment.

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