Up in the air: Lives and careers grounded by Covid

Normally, planes are in constant motion, pinballing between continents. But in March 2020 all that came to a halt. What did it mean for our jobs, our horizons — and the planet?

A study found that climate scientists tended to fly more often than other researchers, mainly due to remote fieldwork and conferences. 

ON March 14, 2020, I left my home in the Orkney Islands to drive to Edinburgh international airport. I was due to travel to Germany for a research trip.

Full of nervous anticipation, and making frantic last-minute preparations, I hadn’t paid as much attention to the coronavirus crisis as I might have. However, events were developing so quickly across Europe, it was dawning on me that international travel might not be an option for much longer.