Commercial flying accounts for about 2% of global carbon emissions and about 12% of transport emissions

LONDON, Oct 2 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - One in five travellers is flying less as "flight shaming" propels travellers to shun air travel for the sake of the planet, according to a survey of 6,000 Western travellers.

The survey predicted environmental concerns would keep denting air traffic, as activists such as Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg lead the way and turn people off planes.

Emma Kemp, 25, a campaigner and fundraising manager at British climate change charity 10:10, said she skipped flying for her last holidays to Italy and Croatia and opted to get around by coach, train and ferry instead.

"I felt I was really travelling," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "And I felt at peace with myself, having done something for the planet."

If these trends continue, the expected growth in passenger numbers could be halved, Swiss bank UBS said in a report published this week.

A survey of more than 6,000 respondents in July and August showed that, on average, one in five travellers in the United States, France, Britain and Germany had cut air travel by at least one flight in the past year because of climate concerns.

Commercial flying accounts for about 2% of global carbon emissions and about 12% of transport emissions, according to the Air Transport Action Group, an aviation industry group.

The survey also found that the percentage of people thinking of reducing their flying for the same reason had climbed to 27%, up from 20% in a previous survey during May 2019.

"With the pace of the climate change debate, we think it is fair to assume that these trends are likely to continue in developed markets," wrote UBS analyst Celine Fornaro.