News Archive

Tourism is destroying the planet – here’s how we fix it.

Tourism is destroying the planet – here’s how we fix it.

The recent floods in Spain starkly illustrate the climate crisis’s impact, notably affecting regions where residents have protested against mass tourism’s detrimental effects. This juxtaposition highlights tourism’s potential harm to our planet. However, tourism can also support vulnerable communities facing climate challenges. The Travel Foundation’s report, “Climate Justice in Tourism: An Introductory Guide,” explores this potential.

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Mass civil disobedience at Belgium airports and protests against destructive mega projects in Mexico highlighting aviation as the pinnacle of climate injustice

Mass civil disobedience at Belgium airports and protests against destructive mega projects in Mexico highlighting aviation as the pinnacle of climate injustice

Activists from across Europe took action at Liège Airport Hundreds of activists have been arrested in Antwerp after being targeted by police In Mexico, several actions are taking place against the new Tulum International Airport 16th December 2023: Today, supporters...

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Eindhoven Airport bans private jets

Eindhoven Airport bans private jets

In another win in the Netherlands, Eindhoven Airport announced today that it intends to ban private jets from the airport from 2026, with the exclusion of electric aircraft. This is not perfect, given the announcement is neither legally binding nor inclusive of all...

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Hundred climate activists in custody in Geneva after peaceful protest against largest private aviation industry sales event in Europe

Hundred climate activists in custody in Geneva after peaceful protest against largest private aviation industry sales event in Europe

One hundred climate activists from 17 countries supporting Greenpeace, Stay Grounded, Extinction Rebellion, Scientist Rebellion and other climate justice groups are being temporarily detained after a peaceful protest against Europe’s largest private jet fair, the annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva. They remain in police custody. Activists report the use of pepper spray and injuries after the police intervention. Greenpeace, Stay Grounded, Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion, which are supported by activists, are extremely concerned about these reports of excessive use of force against the peaceful protesters and demand the immediate release of all those involved.

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Who Greases the Wheels of Deportation Flights?

Who Greases the Wheels of Deportation Flights?

Here we present a summary of Corporate Watch’s original post from 06 Jan 2023: Air Partner and Carlson Wagonlit are the grease spinning the wheels of the UK deportation machine through the Home Office and have been organising logistics for mass-deportation flights for...

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September 10-17 – Let’s counter aviation ads!

September 10-17 – Let’s counter aviation ads!

Let’s call out the aviation industry’s greenwashed advertisements! Take part September 10-17! Grassroots groups around Europe* will be taking action September 10 – 17 to oppose fossil fuel advertising in support of the European Citizens Initiative to #BanFossilAds....

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A Ferry-Tale & Railway Story

A Ferry-Tale & Railway Story

I didn’t think it was possible to get to the Canary Islands so quickly. The Canaries are basically next to West Sahara and 4.000 kilometres from the Stay Grounded office in Vienna, Austria. It only took us four and a half days to get there. Of course compared to a...

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Young People in France Ready to Fly Less

Young People in France Ready to Fly Less

This summary article was first posted on Greenpeace France's website. You can find it here in French.  This research on the travel practices of young French people, entrusted by Greenpeace France to L'Obsoco, analyzes the tourist practices of young people with regard...

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26 COPs and still climate breakdown not arrested!

26 COPs and still climate breakdown not arrested!

A blog post by Stay Grounded member RisingTideUK So, the mouldy green dust of the "climate Davos" has settled on another COP "negotiation". 27 years on and the story is still: can; kick; road. Rather than consigning coal, oil and gas to the past, the first mention in...

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71 airlines warned over potential greenwashing in letter from environmental groups

Webinar: Is the industry greenwashing aviation?

For decades we have witnessed massive growth rates in aviation without any meaningful attempt from neither industry nor government to deal with it’s damaging climate impact. The short pause through Covid was directly followed by massive and unconditional bailouts from...

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Underwater runways

Underwater runways

This article first appeared on the Flight Free UK blog and is published here with friendly permission and minor edit. Airlines have finally realised that climate change is a problem. The rest of us cottoned onto this a few decades ago now, so it’s nice of them to...

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This is your pilot speaking

This is your pilot speaking

This is your pilot speaking: brace for the greatest emergency of our lives Written by the pilot Dan Tipney It might seem hard to believe that just 17% of the global population have ever set foot on a commercial aircraft. However, no doubt like many who read this, for...

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Understanding Greenwashing and False Solutions

Understanding Greenwashing and False Solutions

The aviation industry is engaged in a concerted global greenwashing campaign to divert attention from the immense climate impact of air traffic. More worryingly still, UN body for civil aviation has developed a worldwide climate mitigation plan which does not cut...

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The total climate impact of aviation

The total climate impact of aviation

For a long time, the aviation industry and governments ignored the fact that aviation's climate impact is not only about CO2: burning kerosene at altitude also generates contrails, induced cloudiness and NOx derivatives that, although short lived, contribute...

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Taxes or Limits?

Taxes or Limits?

Measures to reduce air traffic in a just way On September 22nd, the Stay Grounded network held a webinar to discuss which measures are more suitable to limit aviation and its climate impact: Taxes on kerosene, VAT or frequent flyers? Or rather limits on flights and...

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Just Transition in the Aviation Sector

Just Transition in the Aviation Sector

Ways for shifting towards a climate-just transport system. The role of aviation workers and the state On August 4th, the Stay Grounded network held a webinar on the question how a just transition of aviation could be organized. Inputs by a pilot, a trade unionist, and...

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Island Hopping for the Advanced Traveller

Island Hopping for the Advanced Traveller

original blogpost by Zomer Zonder Vliegen From Malta to Texel without a plane! The Dutch Suzanne Maas has been living in Malta for several years, far away in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, 100 kilometers south of Sicily. Quite a challenge, if you want to get to...

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Call to ban short haul flights in France

Call to ban short haul flights in France

On July 3rd, Stay Grounded and its member Climate Action Network France (Réseau Action Climat), together with 15 other organisations, sent a letter to the French Minister of Ecological and Solidarity Transition demanding the government to limit domestic air...

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Grounding Travel Policies in Organisations

Grounding Travel Policies in Organisations

In the Stay Grounded webinar on “Grounding travel policies in organisations” we explored different measures available to organisations to reduce business air travel. The webinar had a focus on academia, with inputs from University Bergen and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

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AUA-Rettung: Bruchlandung für das Klima

AUA-Rettung: Bruchlandung für das Klima

Wien, 8. Juni – Die Klimagerechtigkeits-Organisationen Stay Grounded und System Change, not Climate Change kritisieren die heute beschlossene Einigung auf Staatshilfen für die Austrian Airlines. Aus Sicht der Klima-Aktivist*innen sind die vorgestellten Klima-Maßnahmen...

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Airport Conflicts – Struggles for Environmental Justice

Airport Conflicts – Struggles for Environmental Justice

All across the globe airport projects involve new land acquisition, the destruction of ecosystems, displacement of people and local pollution and health issues. This webinar presented the results of 300 socio-environmental conflicts related to the expansion or creation of new airports or aerotropolis that were mapped in research in collaboration between Environmental Justice Atlas and Stay Grounded.

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9 billion bailout to Lufthansa

9 billion bailout to Lufthansa

Find here the German press release of our member "Am Boden bleiben", critizicing the decision taken today on a 9 billion Euro bailout for the German airline Lufthansa, granted without any social or environmental conditions. The German activist group "Am Boden bleiben"...

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How to Tell Grounded Stories

How to Tell Grounded Stories

Aviation is deeply engrained in the lifestyle of many people in the Global North. Decades of advertising and campaigning by the industry lead to a view of flying that is connected to freedom and an open minded society. But with the rapidly escalating climate crisis...

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New night train Vienna – Brussels celebrated by climate action groups in both cities

New night train Vienna – Brussels celebrated by climate action groups in both cities

After more than 15 years of absence, the night train connecting Brussels and Vienna returns. Twice a week, travelers can now travel in their sleep between the two capitals. It is only a modest start, but in both cities Stay Grounded members welcomed the new night train as a positive step towards a more climate friendly transport system. The first departing trains were celebrated directly on the platform by activists wearing pyjamas.

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Degrowth of Aviation

Degrowth of Aviation

How to reduce air travel in a just way? On 5th of December, Stay Grounded presented the new report "Degrowth of Aviation. Reducing air travel in a just way" in a webinar. The report had been produced with much input from the conference on Degrowth of Aviation held in...

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System Change and/or Behaviour Change?

System Change and/or Behaviour Change?

On Oct. 29th 2019, our second Stay Grounded Webinar took place. We discussed with experts the role of behaviour change approaches regarding the much needed systemic change of our society and new social theories reframing the role of the individual in instigating...

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Protest against Roissy Airport Expansion, France

Protest took off against the project of Terminal 4 at Roissy Airport, Paris, France: Stay Grounded Member Non Au Terminal 4 interrupted a meeting on the project’s public consultation organized by project developer ADP. The activists called for an alternative assembly of project opponents outside Airport’s House of Environment which led to a walk-out of two thirds of the audience. 

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CORSIA – better or worse than nothing?

CORSIA – better or worse than nothing?

The next ICAO Assembly on CORSIA will take place in Montreal from the 24th of September until the 4th of October 2019. Stay Grounded offered a webinar on the 29th of August that explained the current status in the CORSIA process and indicated ways to resist the problematic scheme. Find a shortened version of the recorded webinar, and an overview here.

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Sit-in of farmers for more than a month against Karad Airport expansion

For 36 days, small-scale farmers have been protesting days and nights with a sit-in in front of the district’s planning administration (Satara Collector Office) against the expansion of Karad Airport in Maharashtra State, India. The farmers had started the sit-in (Thiyya Aandola) on 29th of July and announced to continue their protest until the government meets their demands and cancels the expansion project. This agitation is the latest in the ongoing resistance of farmers opposing the airport expansion for more than 8 years. The protests take place under the aegis of the socio-political organization Shramik Mukti Dal.

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Opening of the BER successfully sabotaged

On the occasion of the technical rehearsal, a group of penguins called “Am Boden bleiben” (Stay Grounded) claimed responsibility for the prevented opening of Berlin’s breakdown airport. As part of the movement for climate justice, the penguins have been sabotaging the BER for years to prevent an increase in air traffic, reveals a video and letter claiming responsibility.

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More than 300 aviation-related conflicts and environmental justice movements around the world mapped in research project

The EnvJustice project of the Environmental Science and Technology Institute at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Autonomous University of Barcelona) ICTA-UAB and the Stay Grounded network have registered more than 300 socio-environmental conflicts related to the expansion or creation of new airports or aerotropolis (airports surrounded by industrial and commercial zones). 60 of these have been analyzed and…

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