FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

When we talk about “terran”, questions always come up. Here are the answers. Feel free to contact us via the contact form if you want to know more!

Where do you get all the numbers from and what are your sources?

Calculating the environmental impact and climate impact of human activities is a scientific discipline in its own right. There are many assumptions, approaches and models – and accordingly different numbers. For the figures on our website, we refer to current studies and high-quality sources.

All emissions from air travel are rounded and come from atmosfair.de, assuming round trip, direct scheduled flights and economy class. See here for calculation details.
All per capita emissions data from countries refer to 2015 and are published by the European Commission (2019).
Annual per capita emissions for all humans to keep global warming within the 1.5 degree target of the Paris Agreement made under the international climate negotiations are calculated in a very simplified way as a/(b*c) where:
a = 297 billion t CO2eq remaining budget for the 1.5 degree target (see CO₂ clock, as of Dec 2020)
b = 8.72 billion people on the planet, averaged over the 2020-50 period (see UN forecast, 2019)
c = 30 years to infer annual emissions over the 2020-50 period.
Note that for the resulting 1.1 tCO2eq/capita and year, net-zero emissions until 2050 are assumed and figures are linked to probabilities. Taking into account historical emissions, the target per capita in industrialized countries is much lower (e.g. per Swiss person and year only about 0.6 tCO2eq, see Federal Office for the Environment, 2015).
For figures on the growth of German air traffic, see German Airports Association. For the forecast to 2030 in Switzerland, see Federal Office of Civil Aviation (2015).
For the share of air traffic in Switzerland’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, see Federal Office for the Environment (2019), taking into account a conservative emission weighting factor = 2. For more information, see flugfacts.ch.
Info about the percentage of the world’s population who have boarded an airplane can be obtained from the Institute for European Environmental Policy (2019).
Examples of potential savings come from milieu centraal (2019).
Emissions per person-kilometre of different means of transport refer to the year 2018 in Germany and come from the German Federal Environment Agency (2020).
Note that due to the different electricity-mixes, emissions per passenger-kilometre for trains vary significantly by country. For example, 0.028 kgCO2eq/pkm is quoted for the average of a train journey in Europe (EU28) (see International Energy Agency and International Railway Association report, 2017); for Austria, around 0.014 kgCO2eq/pkm (see Federal Environment Agency 2019); in Switzerland, it is only 0.007 kgCO2eq/pkm train (see mobitool, 2016) – these are all values that are even lower than the value shown in our graph (0.032 kgCO2eq/pkm) for long-distance trains in Germany.
Information on the effectiveness of compensatory payments for air travel can be found here, among other places.

What does “CO2eq” mean?

All data refer to so-called CO₂ equivalents, abbreviated “CO₂eq”. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is not the only greenhouse gas that causes man-made global warming. However, because it is a common and chemically stable greenhouse gas, most studies convert other greenhouse gases such as methane (CH₄) or nitrous oxide (N₂O) into the warming potential of CO₂ – making the calculation easier and figures comparable.

What is my carbon footprint and what does it mean?

There are many ways to calculate your personal CO2eq footprint online. We recommend the CO₂ calculator from the German Federal Environment Agency, see here. For the possible impact of emissions (and their history), explore e.g. the Global Carbon Atlas.

Please note:

Greenhouse gases, measured in CO₂eq, are but one measure of environmental degradation. Besides global warming, there are many other local and global environmental challenges, such as loss of biodiversity, soil fertility and habitats, or local pollution. There are good reasons not to focus exclusively on CO₂eq emissions for a reflective consumption (of mobility), not only because of scientific correlations between many of these factors.

We try to keep all information as up-to-date as possible. If you have questions, comments or criticism of data and/or sources, please feel free to contact us via the contact form!

But flying only accounts for a fraction of global emissions?

According to the German Federal Environment Agency, air traffic currently accounts for 5-8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In terms of pure CO₂ emissions, the global share is “only” 2.5%. The background to this is that, in addition to CO₂ emissions, aircrafts also generate other effects that impact the climate, such as fine particles, water vapor, sulphur and nitrogen oxides. These are all so-called ‘non-CO₂ effects’ which contribute to global warming. Unfortunately, even with the use of alternative fuels, these effects cannot fully be avoided.

Global greenhouse gas emissions from air traffic, however, will in all likelihood rise rapidly in the coming years. To date, only a very small proportion of the world’s population has ever boarded an airplane (5-20%). But this changing. According to forecasts, air traffic will continue to increase significantly in the future – up to a doubling in 2035. In all probability, the Corona pandemic can at most slow down this development for a while, but not stop it.

By the way: If you look at the greenhouse gas emissions shares of air traffic on national level, all wealthy countries already have a significantly larger share than the 5-8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. For example, air traffic accounts for about one fifth (approx. 19%) of Switzerland’s man-made climate impact, and the trend is growing.

Regardless of the current and future share of air traffic in global or national emissions, however, air traffic is also about climate justice – and about the individual climate footprint.

A return flight from Frankfurt to New York of one person already emits many times more climate-damaging gases (3,100 kg CO2eq) than the annual “budget” resulting for each human being on earth if the emissions we can still emit in order to stay within the 1.5 degree limit (1,100 kg CO2eq per person)! However, if we claim a higher emission-share of climate gases for ourselves, it automatically means that other people have to emit (much) less to limit global warming. Is that fair?

Fact is: Reducing air travel has the highest potential for many of us (who fly) to reduce our personal climate footprint – right now!

Why "terran" and not flight shame, flight-free or no-plane travel?

The term terran represents a positive way of living and a movement. Terran affirms that travelling without flying does not mean giving something up, but doing your bit for the climate, being aware and enjoying life!

We want people to use alternative means of transport not out of shame, but rather out of personal conviction and motivation. Having a term that is positive and expresses this is simply practical! Why use complicated and negative wording when you can use simple and affirmative wording? You probably use the term vegan – and not the lengthy ‘without products of animal origin or animal products’.

If we fly less, won't we stop understanding other cultures?

Understanding other people from around the world is a prerequisite for peace. It is important to mingle, get to know each other and truly empathise with each other across continents. But when does real cultural exchange take place and when is it just tourism on well-trodden paths?

For us, there is one important difference: time! The less time we have, the more we remain limited to the surface of a place or culture. Every further week or month we spend in a new culture makes it more likely for us to get to know locals face-to-face, as equals. Often we are the issue rather than with the world we are entering into: we need to enable real exchange rather than consuming fleeting impressions.

Instead of flying to an exotic country for two weeks every year, we could also travel for several months every seven years to immerse ourselves in a culture for longer and more intensively. Or live, work and study abroad for a longer period of time. Thanks to the internet and video-conferencing, we can also stay in touch with the world without leaving the comfort of our homes, as the covid pandemic has shown. Flying less does not preclude genuine understanding of peoples around the world.

At what point do I start being terran?

Being terran does not necessarily mean never getting on a plane again. Terran living can also be a project for a specific period of time: a terran summer holiday, a terran year, a terran conference to which all visitors travel terran. It’s about raising awareness and engaging intensively with alternatives and our concept of time. Not accepting flying as the first and easiest choice. Do you really need a flight to get the rest you long for on holiday? What might you discover when travelling by train to an international meeting? Perhaps even more time? More concentration? More experience and inspiration?

‘Terran in Europe’ could, for example, be the first step in an environmentally friendly direction, similar to ‘weekday vegan’ – the means of transport we choose has a major impact on climate change.

Can't I just offset my flight?

Offsetting should not distract from the real questions: do I even need to fly to reach my destination? Are there alternative means of transport? Or are there even alternative destinations or ways to fulfil my needs?

Offsetting is highly controversial. Analyses have shown that many offsetting schemes do not deliver what they promise. Many researchers conclude that offsetting is not something that can halt dangerous climate change in the long term. The leverage effect of a personal (or, at best, societal) change in behaviour is always more powerful than compensation projects on the other side of the world.

Are you not letting politicians off the hook?

Of course, politicians bear a great deal of responsibility. They have the power and duty to improve climate measures quickly and effectively through international agreements and changes in the law. But in a democracy, political change needs social support. In other words, without a critical mass of people who show that they are willing to change their own lives for the sake of environmental protection, politicians will hardly budge.

Powerful and visible behavioural change by individuals is needed to start a movement. Then we can also convince politicians to translate our actions into political change.

Shouldn't we ban flights? The lifestyle by itself won't cut it, surely?

Terran is much more than just a lifestyle. We firmly believe that individual behavioural changes can trigger social and economic changes at various levels. Today, vegan organic products are also available in discount stores – who would have thought that the lifestyle of just a few people would bring about such lasting changes in the production and trade structures of the mainstream food market? This shows that as soon as demand changes, the products on offer are adapted.

It is also important that terran does not moralise. There may still be good reasons to board a plane in certain situations. But only after careful consideration of the social benefits and as a last resort.

We realise that terran alone will not save the climate and the world. But it is a start that we can make ourselves.

Do you fly at terran the NGO?

Some members of the NGO fly in exceptional cases, mainly for work, while others have been terran for several years. These are conscious decisions made after thorough consideration.

Terran is not dogmatic. It is about making conscious and responsible choices about the means of transport. The social added value of a (work) trip may outweigh the environmental impact of flying. Ultimately, this is a matter of personal ethical judgement.

How can I travel terran if I just have two weeks of holiday?

Ask your boss if you can have three extra days of holiday if you take the train to your holiday destination. There are companies in Germany that already do this and put sustainability where their mouth is. This is one of many terran ideas that we are putting together for companies.

Europe has a lot to offer and is well connected. It is possible to travel by train from Freiburg to Sweden or from Frankfurt to the Mediterranean coast by TGV in a single day. Overnight trains run in all directions and link us with a wide range of countries. And when demand grows, supply adapts. Terran holidays meaning a more relaxed pace of travel and holidays which are better for the climate.

Is being terran also about strengthening our local roots?

At terran, we are expressly not against long-distance travel – two of us have even circumnavigated the globe entirely terran. We believe that travel makes an important contribution to understanding communities from around the world (see above). At the same time, however, a terran lifestyle can also help us to see the beauty of nearby places with new eyes. Good things are often quite literally close by. Instead of holidaying on well-trodden paths in tourist-ridden honeypots, many people now find it moving to explore beautiful places closer to home. Above all, however, the terran lifestyle aims to promote environmentally-friendly sustainable mobility – how far or close to home the journey is to go remains up to each individual.

Indirectly, travelling terran also helps ensure many people do not lose their local roots. The effects of climate change already meaning that millions of people risk losing their homes, especially in the Global South.

What about cars and cruise ships, are they also terran?

Driving is by definition terran and better than flying, because a trip in a car (with a combustion engine) causes ‘only’ 64% of the climate emissions of a flight per kilometre. At the same time, we do not want to promote driving. Instead, we want to motivate people to choose a truly sustainable form of transport. This clearly means travelling by public transport (train 14% and bus 13% of aircraft emissions per kilometre) and bicycle, for both short and long distances.

So are electric or hydrogen-powered cars the solution?

That depends very much on the source of the electricity (renewable energy or fossil fuels) used to power the vehicle or produce the hydrogen. The production of batteries for electric cars and hydrogen is also extremely energy-intensive. That is why even cars with alternative power systems are only better for the climate if certain conditions are met.

Of course, travelling by ship also does not involve flying. However, cruises cause an extremely high level of climate emissions. According to NABU’s calculations (see PDF), a cruise ship emits as much CO2 per day as almost 84,000 cars. If you enjoy travelling on the water, why not consider a sailing trip instead?