Air travel is another perfect example of widespread regulatory capture by fossil fuel-based industries. Look…

Air travel is another perfect example of widespread regulatory capture by fossil fuel-based industries. Look at airports. Massive, ongoing expansion, despite the known challenges of climate change. But to really see the capture, have a look at this next graphic. /1 https://t.co/fHwy2ncO7y

Who’s paying for this massive expansion to air travel? Mostly you and me, the public. Fossil fuel-based industries are masters at outsourcing massive costs to the public and governments. Not just for infrastructure, but in subsidies, zero-cost astronomical pollution etc. /2 https://t.co/gT3OrxqYhn

As the source article says, the ignoring of climate change implications of this ridiculous ongoing expansion could make many of these airports stranded assets. But that doesn’t matter, they were paid for mostly by taxpayers. Socialising the losses. /3 https://t.co/o79RlGdJRt

There’s a very interesting twist in this story though. Just as centralised electricity production and distribution with massive coal and gas and nuclear plants is a business model in collapse, new hints are emerging of how aviation may look under climate action. /4

Fossil aviation is heavily reliant upon massive hubs, these airports, as the driving force of air travel. The economics of air travel mean less than 1% of airports are responsible for 70% of all flights. Those near refineries, for access to fuel. /5 https://t.co/CJ7R5gdnCq

While replacing the capacity to fly anywhere in the world in 24 hours will be difficult without fossil fuels, domestic aviation could become much more decentralised, in turn creating renewable energy hubs in local communities. We may all end up flying a lot more, not less. /6

In much quieter, safer and cleaner planes, not as dependent upon the centralised airport hubs. Electric planes are already emerging for these domestic distances. So rather (using Australia as an example) than everybody having to make their way to a major centre like Sydney…/7

…or Melbourne to get connecting flights to somewhere else in the country, people could increasingly be able to fly from location to location directly, from where they live even in regional areas, without the need to detour through a major hub, onto a major carrier. /8

Decentralising energy, which is what renewables do, can decentralise everything else in our societies, energy is key to everything we do. Fossil fuels aren’t just about chemistry and physics, they’ve also created highly stratified, centralised business and social models. /end