Busking Brit crosses Iraq on his strategy to COP27 with out flying By Reuters

By Charlotte Bruneau

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – With a violin on his again and maps in his bag, Dan Hodd left Spain a month in the past and was biking via busy Baghdad as he heads to the COP27 local weather talks in Egypt that he firmly intends to succeed in with out flying.

“I’m making an attempt as an example the significance inside the transport sector to do extra concerning the local weather disaster,” the 29-year-old Briton mentioned.

“We have to contemplate the best way we’re travelling all over the world, bouncing backwards and forwards on finances holidays or for work journeys.”

Hodd has cycled, taken trains, buses and shared taxis to succeed in Iraq en path to Jordan and finally Sharm el-Sheikh the place the local weather talks happen from Nov. 6-18.

“In 2019, airways had been liable for 2.4% of worldwide CO2 emissions,” mentioned Dan Rutherford, who directs the Worldwide Council on Clear Transportation’s aviation programmes, including that due to the extra local weather impression of aviation, its whole warming impression rises to three.5%.

After a drop throughout the coronavirus pandemic, air site visitors is predicted to bounce again to 2019 ranges by 2024-25, he mentioned.

Avoiding flying shouldn’t be solely a part of Hodd’s message to delegates at COP27. His journey to Egypt is a part of a long-term venture to go to 100 international locations in 10 years with out flying, busking along with his violin to earn sufficient to go on.

“Plenty of why I’ve been travelling this manner is a bit a guilt that I really feel for the truth that I knew this insatiable wanderlust would have me travelling all over the world for a very long time,” Hodd mentioned.

Now in his sixth yr of journey, the seasoned traveller and graduate in music psychology informed Reuters that air pollution on the street was one of many most important challenges for cyclists.

“The odor of petrol, it simply dominates all the things” he mentioned, including that he typically needed to journey along with his mouth lined regardless of excessive temperatures.

“We dwell on a planet that’s not constructed for sustainable travelling”, he mentioned.