The former pilot has opened up about leaving the aviation industry after learning about the climate damage from flying.
Originally from London, Todd Smith was a vacationer traveling across Europe for three years before being temporarily stranded in 2018 by intestinal inflammation.
Doctors advised him to stop eating meat, and he agreed to a plant-based diet, leading him to investigate the environmental impact of animal husbandry.
The intrigued former electrician then began researching climate science and the carbon footprint of air travel, which accounts for more than 2% of global emissions, and tried to talk to his colleagues about his concerns.
He told German news site DW: Especially since half of these emissions are generated by his 1% of the population. ”
“At the time, Greta Thunberg was the focus of all these snarky comments.
He participated in the Extinction Rebellion protest movement, eventually becoming the movement’s spokesperson.
Todd also founded an organization called Safe Landing, along with other aviation workers who share their fear of putting pressure on industry leaders to “comply with climate science and reject unsafe growth.” did.
“With the remaining carbon budget we have, we cannot continue to double air traffic every 15 years like we have been doing,” he said.
“We want aviation workers to understand that they need to fly less if they want to secure their long-term future in the industry,” he said.
