Academics are hot under the collar on global warming. However, they can’t seem to stop flying, regardless of their carbon footprints. There is an amusing piece on his dilemma here. It gives some of the academics’ favorite reasons why they simply must fly:
“My research is a collaborative enterprise. I need to discuss it with colleagues face-to-face (over wine and cheese).”
“The importance of my research outweighs the environmental costs of air travel.”
“I know that flying is an environmental problem, but travel is essential to my work (and I really like San Francisco in the fall).”