Flight shame or flygskam (Swedish) is a social movement that discourages air travel due to its environmental impact, including outsized carbon emissions linked to anthropogenic climate change.[1] Originating in Sweden, the term was popularized by climate activist Greta Thunberg, with the movement alternatively known as an anti-flying or anti-flight movement.
Flight shame refers to an individual's uneasiness over engaging in consumption that is energy-intense with consequences for the climate and environment. It also reflects on air travelers as people involved in socially undesirable activities, and adaptive behaviour as described in the related Swedish term smygflyga (i.e. sneak-flying).[2]
The movement took off in 2018 in Sweden and gained traction the following year throughout northern Europe.[1] Flygskam is a Swedish word that literally means "flight shame".[1]
- ^ a b c Coffey, Helen (5 June 2019). "What is 'flygskam'? Everything you need to know about the environmental movement that's sweeping Europe". The Independent. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ Gössling, Stefan (November 2019). "Celebrities, air travel, and social norms". Annals of Tourism Research. 79: 102775. doi:10.1016/j.annals.2019.102775. S2CID 211419517. Retrieved 19 October 2019.