A new study by Exeter University has found that those people who believe they lead the greenest lifestyles are in fact some of the main contributors to global warming.
The research found that the `environmentally conscious` amongst us - those who take care to recycle the recyclable and save energy at home - are the most likely to take regular long-haul flights abroad. Some of the participants in the research even claimed that their every-day diligence provided justification for the occasional flight around the world.
"I recycle 100% of what I can, there's not one piece of paper goes in my bin, so that makes me feel less guilty about flying as much as I do," said one respondent, when questioned on their flying habits.
Stewart Barr, who led the research, said: "Green living is largely something of a myth. There is this middle class environmentalism where being green is part of the desired image. But another part of the desired image is to fly off skiing twice a year. And the carbon savings they make by not driving their kids to school will be obliterated by the pollution from their flights."
The study found that the longest flights were most likely to be taken by those people who were most aware of current environmental issues, including the threat of climate change. The research team believes the results indicate serious challenges ahead for policymakers who are looking to alter public behavior in an effort to tackle global warming.
Barr said: "The findings indicate that even those people who appear to be very committed to environmental action find it difficult to transfer these behaviours into more problematic contexts."
The study concludes: "The notion that we can treat what we do in the home differently from what we do on holiday denies the existence of clearly related and complex lifestyle choices and practices. Yet even a focus on lifestyle groups who may be most likely to change their views will require both time and political will. The addiction to cheap flights and holidays will be very difficult to break."
