Climate change experts urge Kiwis to axe trans-Tasman travel

The advice from climate experts comes as a major new international report shows last year again broke climate records, with the highest ever recorded greenhouse gases. Despite that, international travel has been taking off. Auckland International Airport has reported travel is back to just over 50% of pre-pandemic levels. Air New Zealand expected to be back to 90% of all of its flights by 2025. Overseas estimates are the world's set to reach pre-pandemic levels of air travel in just two years, by 2024. But our renewed enthusiasm for air travel worried climate change experts like Sustainable Energy Professor Ralph Sims. "The question is do we need to do that travel like we did in the past. I know people that have been to Melbourne for the weekend just to go shopping. It's quite nice to go to Melbourne but there is a cost to that and a cost to the environment," Sims said. Recent findings from an Otago University study surprised even the researchers - revealing long-haul emissions had increased between 2007 to 2017 and short-haul emissions had remained the same - despite talk of planes getting more efficient. Instead, researchers found planes were less efficient. "This apparent decrease in the efficiency of aeroplanes servicing New Zealand, across 21 airlines, seems to be due to operational factors such as seating density," leader of the research team Dr Inga Smith said. Sims said alternatives and biofuels were in the works but were still years away, especially where commercial international travel was concerned. "Small electric planes are nearly here now so they might be able to buzz up and down New Zealand but from an international point of view we will be producing greenhouse gas emissions for many years to come," he said.<br/>