Courtesy John McArthur / Unsplash

Last year, a travel editor I’ve written for at a prominent newspaper informed me that his publication would no longer accept pitches or promote destinations that require air travel. “Since commercial airlines create the majority of harmful climate emissions, we will only cover destinations within a three hour drive or train radius from now on,” he told me.

While I respect the noble intentions and free will of this newspaper to “save the world” in the way it sees fit, I also believe that avoiding air travel is even more harmful to humans than the legitimate and still mysterious concerns of global warming.

Over the last 75 years, world travel has lifted millions out of poverty. It’s grown to 10% of total global GDP. One in 10 humans work in travel, which on a global scale is only possible though commercial airlines. Canceling these modern wonders would not only wreck the world economy, it would impoverish people worldwide and shrink borders. That’s not sustainable.

While travel undeniably causes negative impacts on local, regional, and even global emissions, denying air travel is a short-sighted and poorly thought-out answer.