Dame Emma Thompson has defended flying from Los Angeles to London to join climate change protests, saying: “It’s very difficult to do my job without occasionally flying.”
The actress was accused of hypocrisy last week after taking the 5,400-mile journey to join Extinction Rebellion demonstrators in the capital.
Dame Emma told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that she understood the criticism, but said she offsets her carbon footprint by planting trees. She said: “It’s very difficult to do my job without occasionally flying, although I do fly a lot less than I did.
“But we are caught, because to travel at all by aeroplane is impossible without causing damage to the planet.
“I’m in the very fortunate position of being able to offset my carbon footprint, but most people can’t.”
The 60-year-old, whose acting credits include Sense And Sensibility and Love Actually, added: “We should all fly less. We’re all going to have to fly less.
“It will be inevitable in our lives because we cannot continue to use fossil fuels in the way that we have been doing.
“It’s very difficult to let go of. It’s a bit like smoking, actually.”
Asked if she is tempted to go into politics, she replied: “Oh God no”.
