• Weather

Hurricane Force Winds Batter the U.K. and Europe, Planes Set Speed Records From U.S. to U.K.

• air travel
• bomb cyclone
• climate change
• severe storms
• weather

Storm Ciara battered the U.K. and northern Europe with hurricane-force winds and heavy rains Sunday, grounding thousands of flights and canceling trains across the continent, and producing heaving seas that closed down ports — even the English Premier League had to cancel games as authorities urged millions of people to avoid the outdoors due to falling trees and downed power lines.

Why This Matters:  Severe travel disruptions, power outages, coastal flooding and weather damage to cars and property, and yes, even soccer (or football as they say there) games had to be canceled.

• Climate Change

Airplane Contrails the Hidden Climate Culprit

• air travel
• aviation
• climate change
• jets

by Miro Korenha and Alexandra Patel Airplane contrails have long been the subject of a variety of exuberant conspiracy theories, including that of governments spraying toxic chemicals into the air to induce mass sterilization and mind control. Though you shouldn’t pay attention to most of the conspiracy theories, there are real dangers associated with trails […]

• Air

France to Introduce New Tax on Air Travel

• Air France
• air travel
• airline
• aviation
• flying
• France

Starting in 2020, France will begin to introduce a new “ecotax” on air travel. The new charge, costing approximately $2 to $20 for every flight departing the country, will be used to generate revenue for more environmentally-friendly modes of transportation, such as rail.  Why This Matters: While this tax probably won’t stop people from flying […]