313 a seemingly meaningless number, but it was this number that would become a representation of who I am, a daunting shadow that blackened my conscience. Vienna, a cultural hub in the heart of Europe awaited me, and for my vessel I have a choice, 313 is the result of my first option, the option that we are all too ready to choose. The plane, we used to see it as the gateway to exploring our world, but now it is what destroys it. 313 Kilograms is the weight of Carbon Dioxide I will release into our atmosphere if I choose to fly. To allow the reader to understand the magnitude of that number, that is more toxicity than a tree can absolve in 14 years released in a fateful 2 hours. The weight of a grizzly bear putrefying our source of sustenance, as if it were an invasive species set on slowly eradicating us. But this is not science fiction and there is no existential threat; this is merely the manifestation of decades of our ignorance, greed and ambition. Throughout centuries poets, playwrights and novelists have written of tragic heroes who lose themselves to their ambition; after all these years we have finally realised this theory, not individually but as a collective, we are willing to sacrifice our world for our desires. Could I willingly embark on my Odyssey having suppressed this knowledge as if it were a dark secret? Could I ignore this reality with the hopes that it would fade into memory? It was this pessimism that catalysed a doubt within me; I resolved not to resign myself to this fatalistic perspective, nihilism will not save our planet, but action will. I shall use my knowledge and take advantage of my position of fortune to inspire change. We are blessed with an alternative option, a decision so easy yet so effective. Before humanity took to the skies it was the railway that unlocked the infinite possibilities available to us. Whilst humanity was distracted by dizzying heights, on the ground and out of the spotlight the alternative has been curated to perfection. Instead of obsessing over reaching our destination on time, the train encourages us to savour our journey, we have become too focused on the results to the point where we ignore the process. Travelling by rail would allow me to prioritise what it means to be human by exploring Brussels and Salzburg before I arrive in Vienna. Rather than instant gratification I will be experiencing our world in full, in a way that is not possible 30,000 feet high in the air. But I will end this piece with a second number, 66. 313Kg of CO2 versus 66, which is the larger number? This is no trick question, instead it highlights how easy and obvious the choice we all must make really is and I can confidently say I have made mine.
https://co2.myclimate.org/en/portfolios?calculation_id=8623828
https://www.arbor.eco/carbon-equivalent-calculator
https://www.thetrainline.com/book/results?
https://ectracc.com/transport-carbon-footprint-calculator
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
