New communications toolkit launched to help campaigners, activists, and professionals drive a rapid transition within the aviation industry!

Stay Grounded, New Weather Institute and various members of the Rapid Transition Alliance have launched a new communications toolkit to help foster new narratives around air travel and aviation. 

‘Common Destination: Reframing aviation to ensure a safe landing and lay the tracks towards a fair planet’ is packed with the latest scientific and medical findings on the true impacts of aviation, global survey data highlighting the public appetite for a new, greener and fairer mobility system, and tips and tricks for communications professionals to improve their campaigns and play their part in stimulating rapid transition. 

At the heart of the report is The New Narratives, comprised of five alternative stories to tell about air travel and aviation: 

  1. Plane Greedy is a narrative about how the aviation industry puts itself above the needs of the many, how it is ‘free riding’ at the expense of people, nature and communities, and taking profits for itself while passing damage and costs onto others. 
  2. Common Destination is about how a liveable planet is our only viable, common destination. And why, on our shared planetary home, we don’t need more air traffic and tourism to thrive. But having a tiny, wealthy minority of the world’s population flying regularly, with even fewer capturing the profits, is a big obstacle to completing the journey.
  3. Green Means Grounded touches on why industry promises of change are greenwash and how mobility can become truly sustainable. The only way to lay tracks for ecologically and socially viable systems is to reduce air traffic and foster alternatives.
  4. Safe Landing speaks to how times are changing and the aviation industry needs to face reality and find a safe landing for the people working within it. Climate breakdown, cultural shifts, the rise of virtual meetings, pressures on fuel and responses to the pandemic all mean change is inevitable and will happen by design or disaster.
  5. Enjoy the Journey highlights the alternatives to aviation, and how by travelling in other ways we can enjoy both our lives and journeys more, on the shared path towards a more just and sustainable society.

You can download the full report here and if you are interested in taking part in the Europe-wide Stay Grounded training sessions, which will be based around this toolkit, you can find out more information by visiting the website.