The negative impact travelling has on the environment has driven me to conduct further research into the topic. At this point in my research, I have begun to envision how I could design a travel app which could counteract or reduce the damage which the tourism industry enacts on our environment and its inhabitants.
Screenshots of online users promoting cheaper flights sold by airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet
On social media, I noticed that many influencers of apps like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook were encouraging their followers and other users to take advantage of the low cost of flights being sold by airline companies over the past year. The drop in airfare is largely a result of the Covid pandemic which has “thwarted the expected return of business travel” because of international restrictions like lockdowns and countries restricting entry to international visitors. Prices for flights to Europe are at a five-year low, down more than 30% compared with the same month in 2019, according to the travel website, Hopper. The airline price drop does have its advantages. For most individuals, airline tickets are a luxury that is afforded rarely; this is in stark contrast to public figures like politicians and celebrities who we watch travel frequently on expensive vacations – much of the time, at our expense. Thus, airline price drops arguably level the playing field; providing many the opportunity to finally experience new cultures and adventures that were once unfairly exclusive to a small and wealthy minority.
However, as a user pointed out in the comments of one of these promotional videos, there is a detrimental downside to this huge wave of tourists using airlines as a means to travel: an increase in ticket sales encourages a constant demand for more and more flights. This has and will continue to mount pressure on our planet’s struggle against climate change.
Flights produce greenhouse gases (mainly CO2) from burning fuel. These contribute to global warming (Earth’s rising surface temperature) when released into the atmosphere. Global warming is one symptom of the much larger problem of human caused Climate Change. Climate Change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil used to power the engines of commercial airplanes among other vehicles.
The burning of fossil fuels for production increases GHG trapped in the ozone layer
As Covid restrictions ease, there will be an increased demand for flights
Flights produce greenhouse gases (mainly CO2) from burning fuel. These contribute to global warming (Earth’s rising surface temperature) when released into the atmosphere. Global warming is one symptom of the much larger problem of human caused Climate Change. Climate Change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil used to power the engines of commercial airplanes among other vehicles.
The effects of climate change are visible today, causing disastrous damage to wildlife and human civilisation. It has caused rainfall patterns to change, resulting in intense flooding in some areas while others suffer drought and famine. Sea levels continue to rise at an alarmingly rapid rate as glaciers and ice sheets melt under the warming climate; according to a study by Climate Central, more than 300 million people will have lost their homes by 2050 as a result of high sea levels causing flooding and high tides. It is also important to note, climate change will disproportionately affect the world’s poorest communities despite its largest contributors being global superpowers like the United States and China.
As the Director the World Resource Institute explained at the Climate Resilience Practice:
“The world’s poorest communities often live on the most fragile land, and they are often politically, socially, and economically marginalised, making them especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. More frequent and intense storms, flooding, drought, and changes in rainfall patterns are already impacting these communities, making it difficult for them to secure decent livelihoods.”
SkyScanner was one of the first online travel companies I encountered which featured design/content elements that promoted sustainability. When a customer using the site searches for airlines, options for that specific journey appear in order of most to least carbon emitted by the specific. Green is a colour most associated with the natural world where it features heavily (trees, stems, grass etc). Thus, the vibrant colour is used most frequently by designers to indicate if a product is environmentally friendly and will protect the natural world from human-made destruction. The above includes a green frame around a white text box which contains the flight information. SkyScanner has also create a small circular icon in a similar design theme which displays a white, animated leaf on a bright green background. The leaf is also symbolic of the natural world which a customer will protect if they choose the lowest emission flight. The leaf is minimalist, pictorial icon with a curving, outline that creates an inviting, playful tone that encourages an individual to consider its meaning thoughtfully. I also really liked the white text box geometric planes which are cleverly rendered to reflect the traditional shape of a boarding pass ticket – creating a sense of nostalgia as it calls back to traditional methods of travel before apps like Apple Wallet were created to store tickets digitally.
