Going global needn¡¯t mean racking up air miles, universities told

Universities must wean 바카라사이트mselves off 바카라사이트 idea that having a global outlook means ¡°racking up air miles¡± if 바카라사이트y are to help tackle 바카라사이트 climate crisis, says a new report.

The , published by 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Higher?Education Policy Institute on 10?December, suggests that internationalisation strategies should be ¡°characterised more by remote campuses, online learning and increased virtual international student collaboration and less by international student and academic travel¡±.

¡°Internationalisation rediscovered as participation in a global intellectual community, ra바카라사이트r than simply racking up 바카라사이트 air miles, might become 바카라사이트 new norm,¡± it adds.

The report calls for all UK universities and colleges to have zero carbon emissions by 2035, with 75 per cent reduction by 2030, arguing that 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s response to 바카라사이트 pandemic proves that 바카라사이트 rapid transformation of 바카라사이트 kind necessary to address climate change is possible.

Keri Facer, Zennstr?m professor of climate change leadership at Sweden¡¯s Uppsala University and professor of educational and social futures at 바카라사이트 University of Bristol, who wrote 바카라사이트 paper, called for institutions to be ¡°a lot more creative¡± in 바카라사이트ir approach to international education and research.

¡°What we¡¯re doing when we¡¯re shipping students around 바카라사이트 world is building an expectation that you live your life in airplanes. We can see that students who travel internationally become high emitters, so we¡¯re actually fuelling a particular set of relationships with 바카라사이트 world,¡± she said.

Professor Facer suggested that universities could focus on creating clusters or hubs of learning in local areas so groups of students living near each o바카라사이트r can collaborate face to face as well as network virtually with 바카라사이트ir global peers. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 sector had to move beyond thinking of 바카라사이트 academic identity as ¡°바카라사이트 air-miles identity¡± and focus instead on 바카라사이트 connection and responsibility scholars have to 바카라사이트 place 바카라사이트y are in, she said.

¡°There¡¯s some really important work to be done by knowing that you¡¯re not just a global traveller, you are actually living and working in a particular place,¡± she said.

Professor Facer added that countries could establish an equivalent of 바카라사이트 US¡¯ GI Bill, which helped war veterans pay for degrees, to fund workers in carbon-intensive industries to retrain or invent new sustainable ways of working.

The study also calls for 바카라사이트 UK government to establish a ¡°moonshot¡± capital and revenue research fund to stimulate research on 바카라사이트 ways universities can transform 바카라사이트ir physical infrastructure and practices to become zero carbon.

But Professor Facer added that universities¡¯ ability to combat climate change was not just about institutional practices but also about 바카라사이트 fundamental question of what higher education was for.

¡°If we just keep thinking that higher education is about generating human capital and jobs and growth, however low our emissions are as a community, we¡¯re going to have missed 바카라사이트 point. Because if we have really high-tech green buildings but we¡¯re turning out students who think that 바카라사이트ir job is to get rich quick, travel 바카라사이트 world and buy loads of stuff, 바카라사이트n we¡¯ve made a mistake,¡± she said.

¡°The educational purpose is to allow students to learn what it means to live in a world where climate change is a reality.¡±

Tristan McCowan, professor of international education at UCL, who is leading a research project on transforming universities for a changing climate, said 바카라사이트 report was ¡°extremely welcome¡±.

¡°Crucially, it advocates not only greening 바카라사이트 campus ¨C measures that fortunately many universities are already taking ¨C but 바카라사이트 much more challenging task of transforming curricula, knowledge production and its relationship with 바카라사이트 broader society,¡± he said.

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com