When climate scientists talk about CO2e filling the atmosphere, it gets hazy very quickly. It’s hard to visualise the intangible. In 2014, for example, aviation emissions associated with international student travel were between 14.01 and 38.54 megatons of CO2e. Professor Robin Shields puts these figures into perspective in his must-read paper from the Journal of Cleaner Production (2019).
In megatons, the lower estimate was equivalent to the annual emissions of Latvia (13.94) or Jamaica (15.47). The higher end? That was comparable to the national emissions of Croatia (30.42) or Tunisia (39.72). These comparisons were based on 2014 data. Ten years later in 2024 the number of globally mobile students has more than doubled.
The good news? It’s not all bad. Shields notes that although they are substantial, emissions per student are decreasing thanks to regionalisation and a growing share of students studying closer to home. But providers aren’t so great at keeping track of (or being accountable for) their carbon footprint. Although many report on staff air miles, emissions generated by international students on the move have typically been seen as outside their responsibility.
But so long as students and staff need to travel, international education is part of the problem, even while simultaneously being vitally important to universities’ financial health and, at its best, a real force for good. International study can transform students’ lives, broaden their perspectives and develop exactly the kind of problem-solving skills the world needs to tackle the climate emergency.
This blog was written as part the EAUC’s blog series on Reducing Aviation Emissions.