I am going out on a limb and take your side. Not flying is more symbolism than reality.

Day after tomorrow I am going to fly about 1000 miles to give a talk at a major university in defense of a carbon tax. Maybe I will have 50–100 people in the audience. If I convince even one of them to become a supporter of a carbon tax, I will have done more good for the environment than if I had stayed home.

Let’s focus on practical things that matter. Like making flying (and all other carbon intensive activities) more expensive through some kind of carbon tax or fee. A direct hit in the pocketbook is a heck of a lot more powerful than a whole bunch of e-ink spent preaching about how guilty fliers should feel.

Hey, maybe a tax will make flying so expensive that next time a pro-climate-action student group invites me to speak, they will want me to appear by internet link, not in person. Wouldn’t that be wonderful!

They won’t do it out of a sense of flying guilt. They MIGHT do it if the cost of that airline ticket strained the budget of the student club that is sponsoring my talk.