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OUR APPROACH TO climate action is fundamentally flawed. Too often, we do more of one harmful thing while trying to offset it with something else.
The proposal to lift the passenger cap at Dublin Airport is a perfect example: fly more but feel good about it as you look down at a few solar panels.
Today, we might be inclined to praise Dublin Airport for its announcement of a new commitment that 20% of its electricity will come from solar energy by 2030, along with plans to explore geothermal heating. It says it has “committed to a significant expansion of its onsite solar farm, resulting in more than 20% of the airport’s annual electricity needs coming from renewable solar energy by 2030″.
Dublin Airport operator DAA made the announcement today at the official opening of Phase 1 of the airport’s solar farm by the Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien.
This move, of course, is commendable in isolation. However, it is the very definition of greenwashing. The airline industry speaks only one language: that of infinite growth. It is all about more, more, more.
Climate change is already harming human health. We may not yet feel the worst effects here in Ireland, but make no mistake, it is happening. Lifting the passenger cap will lead to increased emissions, it will worsen climate change, and it will harm human health. Perhaps not here first, but those who suffer the most from climate change are often the ones who will never set foot on an aeroplane.
That is the injustice of climate change: we emit, others suffer.
Locally, there are concerns that Dublin Airport remains a source of both air and noise pollution. Solar panels will not play any part in addressing these issues. Vincent Harrison, DAA Chief Commercial and Development Officer, said today, “Investing in solar reduces Dublin Airport’s reliance on the national electricity grid and boosts our onsite energy generation capabilities.
“Continuing to invest in modernising Dublin Airport so our terminals and airfield operations are as sustainable as possible is a key part of our €2 billion Infrastructure Application, which also asks to increase the passenger cap to 40 million a year… We will continue to invest in sustainability and infrastructure projects that set Dublin Airport up for the long term.”
Contrary to what Mr Harrison says, “sustainability” and “increasing the passenger cap to 40 million a year” do not belong in the same sentence. Lifting the cap plus installing solar panels does not add up to environmental progress. It is a clever rebalancing of the environmental reality. These commitments and measures fail to address the core issue: we live on a finite planet. What is being proposed is not a solution; it is merely a way for them to continue the same behaviour that has brought us to this point.
While we welcome genuine efforts to reduce emissions, we reject those that serve only to mask the ultimate goal: to push ahead at all costs and increase emissions from flying. No amount of clever carbon rebalancing will change the reality that emissions from air travel continue to harm us.
Irish Doctors for the Environment has consistently opposed the lifting of the passenger cap and the expansion of Dublin Airport. We can no longer claim ignorance of the consequences. We know the impact. Encouraging more air travel in the midst of a climate crisis is an overt act of climate change denial.
However, we are not advocating for people to stop flying altogether. Instead, we encourage a shift in travel habits. Reducing the number of flights we take and considering alternative modes of transport are practical steps we all can adopt.
At the same time, we urge the Irish government to move beyond greenwashing a fundamentally carbon-intensive industry and instead focus on investing in genuinely sustainable alternatives such as rail and sail. While these options may not be suitable for everyone, they could offer a greener, calmer and more relaxing way to travel for many.
Historically, healthcare has looked to aviation for guidance on how to avoid errors and improve patient safety. It’s time the aviation industry looked to healthcare for advice. We all have a responsibility to look after and act in the best interest of the most important patient of them all: our shared planet.
Dr Ola Løkken Nordrum is an Anaesthesiology trainee and is Operations Officer with the Irish Doctors for the Environment.
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