At Imaginate we are making changes to our travel habits and choosing lower carbon forms of transport more often, as part of our carbon management plan to reduce our contribution to climate change.
We urge those travelling to the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival to consider the climate impact of different modes of travel, and to choose more sustainable options if you are in a position to do so. (This is most relevant to those travelling from within the UK or Western Europe.)
Example journeys to and from Edinburgh, showing the emissions from different modes of travel:
An Edinburgh - Bristol return flight produces 5 times more emissions than the train. Edinburgh - Paris return flights produce 3 times more emissions than the train, while driving (one person in a medium-sized car) produces the most emissions for this journey. Data: https://www.claimexpenses.com/
Tips for Lower Carbon Travel
- If you are going to fly, choose a non-stop flight over multiple flights where possible, as the take-off produces the most emissions. Alternatively, you could try substituting one short flight with a train journey, then fly the rest of the way.
- Budget airlines tend to be a slightly better choice than traditional airlines, as they have newer, more efficient planes, and they carry more people at once, reducing the emissions per person.
- From Western Europe, you can take the Eurostar through London, and then enjoy a scenic train journey (most are 4-5 hours) to the centre of Edinburgh. The Eurostar goes directly to London from Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Brussels, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and more, and from Ghent, Strasbourg and several other European cities to London with one or more changes.
- If travelling by train, make sure to book well in advance, as the prices do increase substantially as you get closer to the date of travel. Eurostar trains are now available to book up until July.
Helpful Websites for Travelling by Land or Sea
- https://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-travel.htm - This is a great place to start planning your journey to/from Europe.
- https://www.bahn.com/en/view/index.shtml - Deutsche Bahn international train planner (in nine languages)
- https://www.thetrainline.com/trains/europe - Search for train and bus times across Europe and the UK, and book with multiple providers all on one ticket.
- https://www.raileurope.com/ - For UK trips, it finds and books split-ticket fares, making it cheaper than Trainline.
- https://www.rome2rio.com/ - Explains how to get from Point A to Point B by all modes of transport.
- https://www.creativecarbonscotland.com/bens-strategy-blog-flight-free/ and https://flightfree.co.uk/why_flight_free/ - Why and how to go Flight Free.