I read a lot of “travel” articles in the New York Times in the vein of 52 Places to Visit in 2025. Invariably someone comments that travel is responsible for inordinate amounts of fossil fuel use which exacerbates global climate change. And they suggest in no uncertain terms that the only ethical choice is to stay home in your own lane.

   I don’t want to get distracted with side issues such as that these features are not about travel at all, but represent bucket list tourism, and upscale tourism at that. Anybody still reading my thoughts here is well aware of my attitudes regarding this style of tourism. And if that was all there was to it, I would find myself agreeing with the comment.

   I am not omniscient. I modestly claim ignorance of what particular deity or cosmic forces created our magnificent planet. But however that miracle came about, along with the privilege of being born as a sentient being capable of marveling at it, it must be our birthright to appreciate it in all its stunning and awesome beauty. What is this all for if we are not allowed to spend our energies taking in this wealth?

   As a species we are imprinted with the urge to move about, just as we are in thrall to other instincts such as sex and procreation, greed, avarice, intra-species violence (war) and tribalism. We can no better separate ourselves from these urges than we can cease breathing.

   Many people are content (or cautious enough) to stay at home. For others like yours truly, that fate is unthinkable. To stay always in one place would feel like a life prison sentence.

   So I will get back to the subject of travel and my handy list of rationalizations to justify - well pretty much my whole life. I am well aware that my reliance on air travel is a contributor to our current challenges. I try to keep it to a minimum by no longer going here, there, and everywhere, and by using lower emission surface transportation whenever possible. However, too often air travel is the only practical alternative, like it or not.

  I have two homes. When I am not off on an occasional separate trip, I spend eight months annually in Mexico and the lovely summer months in the US Pacific Northwest. Spoiler alert - I find life in Mexico to be far more pleasant. I enjoy fine warm weather and unlimited sunshine. Cold, grey, and cloudy days find me spending a lot of the day indoors. Once my parental responsibilities mostly ended, I determined to spend as much of the rest of my life as possible outdoors in nature. And so it has come to pass. The last full winter I experienced was that of 2002-3. And since I fully retired in 2014, winter of any kind is just a memory. So sue me. I am extremely fortunate to be able to enjoy a life style that makes me happy. One of the costs is needing to fly back and forth twice a year.

   But consider the advantages. In Mexico I don’t drive a car. With its superior public transportation, there is no need to.  In the US I store a 2002 Honda Civic, which I drive for four months averaging about 1,500 miles per annum. Neither of my homes require heating or air conditioning during the months I live in them. So when you add it all up, including the climate destroying flights, I contend that my climate footprint is much lower than most people. I am also militantly anti-materialistic. More savings. To sum up, I have made my choices, and I live with them.

  Now let’s return to our anonymous and perhaps self-righteous commenter. I have a few questions. How many miles do you drive every year? You likely need to heat your home in the winter and use air-conditioning in the summer. What is your fossil fuel utility usage compared to mine? You are a NYT reader, meaning that you are likely fairly affluent. How big is your home? How fancy is your automobile? How many clothes do you have in your wardrobe for vanity purposes, not to mention needing lots of items to weather all the seasons? It is possible, even likely, that you have relatives that live far from you. How do you see each other? I hope you don’t jump on a big, bad jet airplane. I don’t need to continue belaboring the obvious. For decades Americans have used energy way out of proportion to out population. And that doesn’t include our huge military presence around the globe with its spectacular waste of energy. I read that every gallon of gas used in Afghanistan cost the taxpayers four-hundred dollars.

  If my staying at home would halt and reverse global climate change, I would be incredibly selfish not to do so. But it won’t, not even the tiniest iota. We are all in the same boat, and it may well sink our grandchildren and cause them to live in a world we don’t wish to imagine. I am an old man. I will continue to live in the sunshine as long as I can. And as for Ms. or Mr. Critic, all I can say is stick it where the sun never shines. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Thank you.