Given that planes emit carbon dioxide to the environment while flying, some people intend to reduce the annual number of flights or give up flying so as to protect the environment. However, from my point of view, the demerits for people would outweigh the merits to the environment if they stop flying or reduce flights, since the profits people create by flying directly or indirectly are numerous.
There is no denying that the carbon dioxide released by planes is detrimental to the environment, as abundant carbon dioxide emissions lead to greenhouse effect, further worsening global warming. With an increasing global temperature, there will be more extreme weather, including droughts and floods which are intensified by the growing evaporation caused by the increasing temperature. Since carbon dioxide produced by planes do great harm to the environment, reducing the number of flights can help conserve the environment.
Although planes do harm to the environment, the disadvantages of reducing flights to individuals cannot be ignored. First and foremost, because of fewer air travels, people may turn to sea and land travel, which also release carbon dioxide but require more time compared to travelling by air. Given a lack of efficiency and the redundant amount of time, decreasing the air travel would hinder global trade as well as global relationships. Moreover, a sudden decline of the number of flights may lead to unemployment for those whose jobs are related to air industry, threatening the society.
Therefore, I am against the idea of protecting the environment by decreasing the number of flights. Instead we could protect the environment by improving technologies so that planes would release less pollutant and planting more trees.