#refusetofly — Public Fediverse posts

Day 63: Big setback as only ferry serving Wewak has broken engine. The pastor looking after me recommends an alternative route through the Sepik river.

He leaves it late, but in the end he manages to find a place on the last truck of the day travelling to Angoram on the Sepik river. They leave me the privilege of travelling on the front of the truck where I have a comfy seat rather than the wooden benches all the other passengers use on the back. the scenery is very diverse from the ones I used to in Bougainville. there's no rainforest here, but rather grassland and bushes. it strikes me that even this very old, noisy and rusty truck is a luxury in comparison with the many who cannot afford it and walk over the main (and only) road. actually, we are lucky there's a road at all. This will stop at the Sepik river, as there's no bridge crossing over it.

I get to Angoram after an 8-hour drive. I have no idea where to stay and find a place to sleep in the local church (along with rats & insects).

https://youtube.com/shorts/xT5dboTbjP8

#refusetofly #travel #slowtravel #decarbonise #climateemergency #globalwarming #climateBreakdown #collapse #TippingPoint #papuaisland #PNG #Wewak #Sepik #WestSepik #researcher #researcherlife #AFuoco

I slow travel mainly to reduce my carbon footprint (by 10 times according to available estimates) but also to experience travel as most people in this world do.

Day 63: Big setback as only ferry serving Wewak has broken engine. The pastor looking after me recommends an alternative route through the Sepik river.

He leaves it late, but in the end he manages to find a place on the last truck of the day travelling to Angoram on the Sepik river. They leave me the privilege of travelling on the front of the truck where I have a comfy seat rather than the wooden benches all the other passengers use on the back. the scenery is very diverse from the ones I used to in Bougainville. there's no rainforest here, but rather grassland and bushes. it strikes me that even this very old, noisy and rusty truck is a luxury in comparison with the many who cannot afford it and walk over the main (and only) road. actually, we are lucky there's a road at all. This will stop at the Sepik river, as there's no bridge crossing over it.

I get to Angoram after an 8-hour drive. I have no idea where to stay and find a place to sleep in the local church (along with rats & insects).

https://youtube.com/shorts/xT5dboTbjP8

#refusetofly #travel #slowtravel #decarbonise #climateemergency #globalwarming #climateBreakdown #collapse #TippingPoint #papuaisland #PNG #Wewak #Sepik #WestSepik #researcher #researcherlife #AFuoco

I slow travel mainly to reduce my carbon footprint (by 10 times according to available estimates) but also to experience travel as most people in this world do.

Day 63: Big setback as only ferry serving Wewak has broken engine. The pastor looking after me recommends an alternative route through the Sepik river.

He leaves it late, but in the end he manages to find a place on the last truck of the day travelling to Angoram on the Sepik river. They leave me the privilege of travelling on the front of the truck where I have a comfy seat rather than the wooden benches all the other passengers use on the back. the scenery is very diverse from the ones I used to in Bougainville. there's no rainforest here, but rather grassland and bushes. it strikes me that even this very old, noisy and rusty truck is a luxury in comparison with the many who cannot afford it and walk over the main (and only) road. actually, we are lucky there's a road at all. This will stop at the Sepik river, as there's no bridge crossing over it.

I get to Angoram after an 8-hour drive. I have no idea where to stay and find a place to sleep in the local church (along with rats & insects).

https://youtube.com/shorts/xT5dboTbjP8

#refusetofly #travel #slowtravel #decarbonise #climateemergency #globalwarming #climateBreakdown #collapse #TippingPoint #papuaisland #PNG #Wewak #Sepik #WestSepik #researcher #researcherlife #AFuoco

I slow travel mainly to reduce my carbon footprint (by 10 times according to available estimates) but also to experience travel as most people in this world do.

Day 63: Big setback as only ferry serving Wewak has broken engine. The pastor looking after me recommends an alternative route through the Sepik river.

He leaves it late, but in the end he manages to find a place on the last truck of the day travelling to Angoram on the Sepik river. They leave me the privilege of travelling on the front of the truck where I have a comfy seat rather than the wooden benches all the other passengers use on the back. the scenery is very diverse from the ones I used to in Bougainville. there's no rainforest here, but rather grassland and bushes. it strikes me that even this very old, noisy and rusty truck is a luxury in comparison with the many who cannot afford it and walk over the main (and only) road. actually, we are lucky there's a road at all. This will stop at the Sepik river, as there's no bridge crossing over it.

I get to Angoram after an 8-hour drive. I have no idea where to stay and find a place to sleep in the local church (along with rats & insects).

https://youtube.com/shorts/xT5dboTbjP8

#refusetofly #travel #slowtravel #decarbonise #climateemergency #globalwarming #climateBreakdown #collapse #TippingPoint #papuaisland #PNG #Wewak #Sepik #WestSepik #researcher #researcherlife #AFuoco

I slow travel mainly to reduce my carbon footprint (by 10 times according to available estimates) but also to experience travel as most people in this world do.

Day 63: Big setback as only ferry serving Wewak has broken engine. The pastor looking after me recommends an alternative route through the Sepik river.

He leaves it late, but in the end he manages to find a place on the last truck of the day travelling to Angoram on the Sepik river. They leave me the privilege of travelling on the front of the truck where I have a comfy seat rather than the wooden benches all the other passengers use on the back. the scenery is very diverse from the ones I used to in Bougainville. there's no rainforest here, but rather grassland and bushes. it strikes me that even this very old, noisy and rusty truck is a luxury in comparison with the many who cannot afford it and walk over the main (and only) road. actually, we are lucky there's a road at all. This will stop at the Sepik river, as there's no bridge crossing over it.

I get to Angoram after an 8-hour drive. I have no idea where to stay and find a place to sleep in the local church (along with rats & insects).

https://youtube.com/shorts/xT5dboTbjP8

#refusetofly #travel #slowtravel #decarbonise #climateemergency #globalwarming #climateBreakdown #collapse #TippingPoint #papuaisland #PNG #Wewak #Sepik #WestSepik #researcher #researcherlife #AFuoco

I slow travel mainly to reduce my carbon footprint (by 10 times according to available estimates) but also to experience travel as most people in this world do.

I realise things are not quite right when a fellow passenger cries she wants to be left ar the shore because the sea is too rough. Maybe the border official was right in ordering not to travel by boat. The passenger literally throws her little child to the crew at front of the boat, maybe thinking to save his life.

I'll arrive in Aitape completely drenched after 6 hours of navigation. The money inside my supposedly water-proof waist belt is so wet I have to hang it up to dry. Good thing a fellow passenger takes me to a comfortable guesthouse. I can rest.... but not for long....

https://youtube.com/shorts/Krp73XUK9C0?feature=share

#refusetofly #slowtravel #lowercarbon #decarbonize #climateemergency #dinghyboat

I long to return to the "House of Culture" museum in Yogjakarta, a real "Atlas" of Javanese culture and history.
I am mesmerised by the section on the "Batyk", shawls that are worn in ceremonies marking the main stages in a person's life:
- birth, where the "gendogan" batyk is meant to wish good luck to the newborn;
- "Mitoni", taking place at 7 months of pregnancy;
- Adolescence (with a ceremony for boys when they get circumcised and girls when they have their first menstruation);
- Wedding, preceded by an engagement ceremony, where various batyk mark the 7 days of the rituals; The spouses often wear Sidomukti (to become noble/prosperous) or Truntum (reawakened love) to bless their union.
- Turning 64- as a person can be thought of having lived life to its full and to have acquired wisdom.
- Death, marked by dark tones.

Batyk also reveal a person's social status, as some patterns are exclusive to the "elite" and are forbidden to the "commoners". An example is the "Parang" - a diagonal "S" patterns representing waves of swords. They symbolize power and authority; the larger the motif, the higher the wearer's rank.

I wonder how virtually all human societies are characterised by rites of passage marking birth, adolescence, wedding, and death. We have more in common that what we could think of. More on my YT: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJL-sRWA7R4-tCkqYDPa3323wgLuqOBZg 67/

#RefuseToFly #ClimateEmergency #Slowtravel #decarbonise #ClimateAction #Sonobudoyu #Java #Indonesia #Yogjakarta #RitesOfPassage #Batyk

Day 45: I only know their names, Dina and Rizki, and that today is supposed to be the happiest day in their lives. Their wedding takes place under a tent that is crowded with relatives and friends. Their silky clothes are luxurious, and every embroidery seems to have been crafted by an expert hand. The bride is crowned with fake jewels. Perhaps this dress has been passed down from generation to generation. Dina's smile is too static to be authentic. Rizki, instead, seems to be thoroughly enjoying the day. Her parents sit in a semi-circle opposite her. This is probably the moment in which they are “handing” the girl over to the groom’s family. You could exchange what goes on under the tent for a wedding in Dubai. Outside the tent, life goes on as normal in this coastal district, among the rubble, the dirt road, the house foundations eroded by the rising seas, and the wooden roofs collapsing under the power of typhoons.
Maybe this tent is a metaphor of global warming. We live in a bubble where everything seems joyful and luxurious, but reality bites outside. The brides can hardly pronounce my name, but they share their food with me as if I were a member of their family. My van to Yogjakarta departs soon, so I leave the gathering well before the wedding is over. I leave under the illusion their future will be bright... 65/

#RefuseToFly #slowtravel #Semarang #Indonesia #JavaIsland #JavaneseWedding #coasters #SeaLevelRise #LandSubsidence #ClimateBreakdown #DontLookUp

I am very proud of my newly bought solar power generator and I use it straightaway on my makeshift office space at the upper deck of the ship taking me to Jakarta. The sunset over the Java sea is, however, a big distraction for my overdue essay...
See video : https://youtube.com/shorts/X4CwMSqv_Wk

#RefuseToFly #Slowtravel #Decarbonise #ClimateAction #StrictlyPublicTransport #researcherlife #researcher #AFuoco #Singapore #Indonesia #Batam #Jakarta #FerryTravel #Pelni #JavaSea

It's a very short boat ride the one from Singapore to Batam, Indonesia. But it's really a springboard from the globalised, motorised, and carbonised part of the world to the Global South. I have already travelled about 14,000km to come here without taking airplanes and I truly savour the crossing of this physical but most importantly cultural boundary between North and South.

The taxi that takes me to the embarkment to Jakarta travels through bumpy roads, which turn into dirt road at the very access to the Pelni (the Indonesian national ferry company) departure point. I am torn between accepting the offer of porters to carry my luggage or carrying it myself. It's little money for me and a lot of money for them. I opt for carrying it myself, as I am short of Indonesian cash and I perceive porters' requests as bordering extortion. I travel 3rd class, because I want to stay as close as possible to the travelling conditions of most travellers. I get a bed in one of the many sleeping halls provided on the ship. A mattress is provided, although it's better not to think of the last time it has been washed. I must say sleeping is hard. People talk loudly throughout the night and kids cry loud. However, I am so tired that I sleep tight. As usual, I am woken up at 4am by the call to the Islamic morning prayer.

#RefuseToFly #Slowtravel #Decarbonise #ClimateAction #StrictlyPublicTransport #researcherlife #researcher #Singapore #Indonesia #Batam #FerryTravel #Pelni

Day 38 of my no-fly trip from Italy to Papua New Guinea: I only have a few hours to spend in Bangkok before my train to the far south of Thailand departs at 3 p.m. In this precious time visit Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. It is every bit as impressive as the Royal Palace and Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. I must say that I am torn between the magnificence of the place (the stupas are covered with countless pieces of uniquely crafted ceramics) and the awareness of the immense economic and political concentration of power that the construction of this temple must have meant. From time to time, I simply try to let myself be carried away by the beauty of the colours and the philosophical meaning of approaching the central stupa... I also try not to think that Bangkok is at the top of the list of capitals at risk of being submerged by sea water within this century. All cities at the confluence of large rivers share this common fate, and the excessive use of aquifers by the expanding population contributes to this bleak future. The colours of the Chao Phraya River blend beautifully with the soft tones of the temple, but it won't be long before these same waters could bring this temple to ruin, unless we stop our mad rush towards fossil fuels, deforestation, and cementification.

#refusetofly #SlowTravel #decarbonise #climateemergency #researcherlife #TheResearcher #ClimateAction #Bangkok #Overnighttrain #StrictlyPublicTransport #AFuoco 52/

I reach the South Coach station in Kunming after half an hour on the metro. They tell me there's a coach leaving for the Golden Triangle in an hour. I have no idea where the Golden Triangle is. I find out that it's a point where Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar share a border. it's a deviation from the North-South route I'm travelling on, but it'll save me some days of travel. So I jump on the coach. As in 2019, there are bunk beds on board! After 12 hours of overnight travel, I have a veggie breakfast at a roadside restaurant in China. It ends up way too spicy, but it´s good. Finally, I leave China and enter Laos, not without a lot of questioning at the border as the reasons for my slow-travel.

You can watch videos of my journey on my YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0pJz61Yugg&list=PLJL-sRWA7R4--Dp2bFilC5zc-f2mXp0e4 47/

#RefuseToFly #Decarbonise #ClimateEmergency #ClimateAction #slowtravel #TrainTravel #China #goldentriangle #OvernightCoach

I am happy to support the campaign by @ExtinctionR
social.rebellion.global
(XR) at the climate conference of the parties (COP30) in Brazil, as well as the ongoing campaigns and legal case by @ScientistRebellion (SR) through a donation of €6.600 in total. This donation matches what XR and SR supporters donated for these causes. I thank all donors to these campaigns.

Last January, I received monetary compensation from my former employer, the #KielInstituteforTheWorldEconomy (Kiel IfW). In October 2023, they terminated my contract after I refused to take a plane to return to Europe from fieldwork research in Papua New Guinea (PNG). I did that because I wanted to stick to my principle of taking lower-carbon alternatives to aeroplanes, given the climate emergency we're facing. The current donation is part of the severance payment that I received from #KielIfW) when I left the employment relationship.

Even if these annual conferences have failed to achieve climate safety/justice so far, they are the only venues at which vulnerable countries can sit at the same table as high-emitting countries. I think global governance must be strengthened, and fossil fuel companies should be kicked out of the COP. I wish activists on the ground to do all they can to achieve climate justice..

Video of my motivations to donate: https://youtube.com/shorts/Lbh3w8xBX3w?feature=share

#RefuseToFly #COP30 #COP30Brazil #Decarbonise #ClimateJustice

New job, new film, new book...Merci Olivier Monod @libe Liberation for summarising my 2025 so far!
Indeed I accepted a job offer @ Masaryk University in Czechia. They have a programme on regional peripheries that seems perfect to continue my research on the effects of climate change & market integration on indigenous communities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) (among my other research on social cohesion).

The film "The Researcher" by @produzionifuorifuoco has already been screened in 13 different countries around the world and recently won the award for "Best Educational Pathway Film" @ International Frome Climate Film Festival.

Finally, my book "A fuoco" (Zooming in) has just been published by @feltrinelli_. It’s the diary of my 28,000 km #NoFly journey from PNG to Europe to reduce my carbon footprint.

Many people ask me if losing my job was "worthwhile". These outcomes would make one feel that it was. But, honestly, I would have done the same even if no one had talked about my story and I hadn't "achieved" anything. For me, the important thing was to remain true to my "climate conscience". I couldn't have done otherwise.

Read article (in French)👉:
https://www.liberation.fr/environnement/licencie-pour-avoir-refuse-de-prendre-lavion-lobjecteur-de-conscience-climatique-gianluca-grimalda-a-retrouve-un-emploi-20250604_PDX6ADGP5FAS3O2XPMMBNEW6R4/

Watch trailer of the film👉https://www.produzionifuorifuoco.it/portfolio_researcher.html

Read extract of the book (in Italian): https://www.feltrinellieditore.it/opera/a-fuoco/

#RefuseToFly #ClimateAction #ClimateCrisis #Decarbonize
Photo @ Alexander Pohl/Sipa USA

Very pleased with showing in my hometown of Milan the story of my 42.000km no-fly journey to research climate adaptation. Some people even shed some tears.
🙏Carlo Monguzzi & Simonetta D'Amico councillors of @ComuneMI & @MassimoCirri for collaborating in the event. The trailer of the film by P. Casalis @produzionifuorifuoco 👉https://produzionifuorifuoco.it/portfolio_ricercatore.html

#ClimateEmergency #RefuseToFly #ClimateChange #SlowTravel #ClimateAction #Decarbonise

"Is it worthwhile?" asked @teleambiente after I was fired for refusing to take a plane from Papua New Guinea to Europe. My answer has always been: "Yes, it would have been worthwhile even if nobody had taken any notice about my story, because being faithful to my climate conscience is more important than money". Full Interview👉 https://youtube.com/watch?v=OJcaJehFNqg . 🙏 to journalists Mario Messina & Bianca Amato, also starring in the trailer of the documentary film on my journey (with my very patient dad)👉 https://www.produzionifuorifuoco.it/portfolio_researcher.html #staygrounded #ClimateEmergency #noflight #conscience #RefuseToFly

"Is it worthwhile?" asked @teleambiente after I was fired for refusing to take a plane from Papua New Guinea to Europe. My answer has always been: "Yes, it would have been worthwhile even if nobody had taken any notice about my story, because being faithful to my climate conscience is more important than money". Full Interview👉 https://youtube.com/watch?v=OJcaJehFNqg . 🙏 to journalists Mario Messina & Bianca Amato, also starring in the trailer of the documentary film on my journey (with my very patient dad)👉 https://www.produzionifuorifuoco.it/portfolio_researcher.html #staygrounded #ClimateEmergency #noflight #conscience #RefuseToFly

"Is it worthwhile?" asked @teleambiente after I was fired for refusing to take a plane from Papua New Guinea to Europe. My answer has always been: "Yes, it would have been worthwhile even if nobody had taken any notice about my story, because being faithful to my climate conscience is more important than money". Full Interview👉 https://youtube.com/watch?v=OJcaJehFNqg . 🙏 to journalists Mario Messina & Bianca Amato, also starring in the trailer of the documentary film on my journey (with my very patient dad)👉 https://www.produzionifuorifuoco.it/portfolio_researcher.html #staygrounded #ClimateEmergency #noflight #conscience #RefuseToFly

"Is it worthwhile?" asked @teleambiente after I was fired for refusing to take a plane from Papua New Guinea to Europe. My answer has always been: "Yes, it would have been worthwhile even if nobody had taken any notice about my story, because being faithful to my climate conscience is more important than money". Full Interview👉 https://youtube.com/watch?v=OJcaJehFNqg . 🙏 to journalists Mario Messina & Bianca Amato, also starring in the trailer of the documentary film on my journey (with my very patient dad)👉 https://www.produzionifuorifuoco.it/portfolio_researcher.html #staygrounded #ClimateEmergency #noflight #conscience #RefuseToFly

"Is it worthwhile?" asked @teleambiente after I was fired for refusing to take a plane from Papua New Guinea to Europe. My answer has always been: "Yes, it would have been worthwhile even if nobody had taken any notice about my story, because being faithful to my climate conscience is more important than money". Full Interview👉 https://youtube.com/watch?v=OJcaJehFNqg . 🙏 to journalists Mario Messina & Bianca Amato, also starring in the trailer of the documentary film on my journey (with my very patient dad)👉 https://www.produzionifuorifuoco.it/portfolio_researcher.html #staygrounded #ClimateEmergency #noflight #conscience #RefuseToFly