Quitting dream job over climate fears a 'no-brainer' for former pilot

Pilot who quit flying due to climate change now loving life as a baker Snow-capped mountains, striking thunderstorms, fairy floss clouds and vivid sunsets stretching as far as the eye can see. These magical views were a common occurrence during Geoff Collis's 40 year career in the aviation industry. Mr Collis first became enamoured with planes at the young age of 10. "I started making model aeroplane kits and getting into the history of aviation and just everything to do with planes," he said. "Instead of rock and roll band posters on my walls when I was a teenager, I had pictures of planes." A logical progression from there, he said, was to train to become a pilot. He began that process towards the end of high school and spent the next four decades soaring high into the sky. "Even to this day, after like 42 years and 25,000 hours in the logbook, there's still an incomparable buzz from taking off," he said. Despite this passion, Mr Collis started to struggle with his role amidst a warming climate. "I was just looking at the amount of fuel I was ordering for each flight … and I thought, 'How can I justify continuing in this sort of role?' "It was a 2.4 million litres a year jet fuel habit." From pilot to baker A surprising reprieve came in the midst of worldwide lockdowns. At the age of 55, he was partially stood down during the COVID-19 pandemic, like many aviation workers. In an attempt to find a fulfilling pastime, he enquired about apprenticeships at his local bakery in Melbourne's north-east. He began upskilling in the craft of baking breads and patisseries within a matter of months. The Eltham bakery became his second home during the pandemic years, but he was expected to return to work full-time once the aviation industry returned to pre-COVID levels. In 2023, he paused his baking apprenticeship and took to the skies once more. But before long, he decided it was time to permanently leave his life as a pilot behind. He returned to baking this time a year ago, all for the sake of the planet. "I started to realise that most of what [the industry] appeared to be doing [for climate change] was really just tokenism, spin and greenwashing," the former Jetstar pilot said. "I got to the point where I just thought … I don't think I can, in clear conscience amidst the climate situation we're facing, be part of the industry anymore. "Eventually, it was a no-brainer. I had really no option but to to to walk away from it." Aviation emissions taking off While aviation is responsible for a relatively small percentage of greenhouse gas emissions globally — between two and three per cent annually, on average — many people acknowledge it is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. The federal government said aviation emissions were continuing to grow, bucking the trend as "total emissions have started to decline across the economy". Its 2023 Aviation Green Paper stated that emissions were "likely to continue to grow as other sectors continue to decarbonise with mature technologies". According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) 2025 environmental report, global aviation emissions were "expected to increase through 2070 by two to five times 2018 levels". Mr Collis' former employer, the Qantas Group, also acknowledged it was operating on a growth model. In a statement, it said: "We know that Australians love air travel and we expect to keep growing to meet that demand, but we are also focused on reducing the impact of our operations where we can." "We’re doing that by investing in new aircraft, improving flight planning and procedures and increasing our procurement of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). "We're also working with government and industry to help build a SAF industry here in Australia, which will be critical to our long-term decarbonisation goals and has the potential to create thousands of jobs in regional Australia." Dr Ya-Yen Sun from the University of Queensland's business school said the sector's forecast growth would likely undermine much of the work being done to decarbonise, which included introducing more energy efficient planes and sustainable aviation fuels. "The energy efficiency has improved, but the demand outweighs the energy improvement," the associate professor says. "So as a result, I think it's quite challenging to reduce flying emissions." Despite these challenges, Qantas remained committed to reducing net emissions by 25 per cent by 2025, and achieving net zero by 2050. The one per cent Those working in the sustainable tourism sector argue that reducing the overall number of planes in the air would help reduce emissions, but it is a complex picture for countries as large as Australia. "Personally, I think travel is a privilege, but it's also something that we need to provide to people," Dr Sun said. "And if we say no, you cannot fly anymore just due to the environmental concern, I think it's too harsh on people. So for Australia, I think probably we need to put more pressures on the airlines." Dr Sun said a carbon tax or emissions trading scheme could be possible solutions in Australia. "Essentially, if you emit more emissions, you need to pay more financial cost. If you reduce your emissions, you will be awarded financially,"Dr Sun said. Connecting with other pilots While coming to terms with his decision to quit flying, Mr Collis came across a group of former and current aviation workers in the UK who established an organisation called Safe Landing to help pilots struggling with climate concerns. "Knowing there are other people out there who came to the same conclusion as myself was reassuring and reaffirming," he said. "There was a huge sense of like, 'Wow I'm not the only oddball who's feeling this way.'" He said before meeting this group, the usual response from people he spoke to was, "What difference is one person not [flying] going to make?" "But I think it's about leading by example … or showing people alternatives to the automatic response to air travel," he said. "If air travel was priced properly to reflect its impact on the planet, then we might find that people actually start questioning their need for travel." Although the former pilot is no longer spending his days high in the sky, he admits that he'll always have a soft spot for the metal flying machines. "If a plane goes overhead, you can't help it, it's just almost like an automatic response [to look up]. "But I don't really miss it for a moment, I don't miss it for a day."