Internationalization, Sustainability and the Contested Environmental Impacts of International Student Mobility

14 March 2023, 11:00 – 12:00.

Hybrid delivery event.
Location: University of St Andrews, Arts Building, Arts Lecture Theatre.
Virtual format: Microsoft Teams.

Net Zero and the Direction of Travel in Scottish HE
How can Scotland’s higher education institutions lead the way in supporting the UK government’s Net Zero ambitions? Where are we right now and where do the future challenges lie? How can the transition towards more sustainable travel be inclusive, fair and support Scotland’s research and teaching ambitions?

This four-part event series explores three key strands of travel through hybrid delivery talks delivered by a range of invited speakers, plus a chaired open discussion:

Seminar by Dr David McCollum
Title: Internationalization, Sustainability and the Contested Environmental Impacts of International Student Mobility
Time: 14 March, 11:00-12:00, 
Venue: Arts Lecture Theatre, Arts Building, University of St Andrews and Microsoft Teams.

Abstract
This seminar focuses on the environmental sustainability of the ongoing growth in international student mobility (ISM). The Higher Education (HE) system in the UK and elsewhere is increasingly predicated upon the hosting of international students. Whilst this drive towards internationalisation undoubtably has multiple significant benefits, little attention thus far has been paid to its environmental impact. This is of significance because the carbon generated by ISM could conceivably be very considerable. The drive for internationalisation within HE thus potentially sits at odds with strategies to promote sustainability within the sector and beyond. This seminar seeks to stimulate conversation around the compatibility of these agendas within HE. A survey of students is used to generate a carbon audit of ISM in the UK. In-depth interviews with students and representatives of International Offices offer insights into how the environment features in the decisions that young people and HE institutions make with regards to education related mobility. The results point to the carbon emissions attributable to ISM being quite considerable, and largely due to the air travel involved in moving between home and university. Students take environmental considerations into account when undertaking education related mobility, but these aspirations are often secondary to logistical issues concerning the financial cost and time associated with greener travel options. At the institutional scale, university sustainability agendas have yet to be reconciled with the financial imperative to recruit evermore international students. This research thus flags up a thus far neglected contradiction within HE whereby the sustainability agenda that it so rightly espouses is potentially undermined by aspects of the drive towards internationalisation.

Speaker
Dr David McCollum is a Senior Lecturer in migration studies in the School of Geography and Sustainable Development, with research expertise in international student mobility.

STACEES Environment and International Student Mobility poster 2023

‘Internationalization, Sustainability and the Contested Environmental Impacts of International Student Mobility’ video on YouTube

Leave a comment